Political crisis in Egypt: Military unexpectedly intervenes.

The Egyptian president unexpectedly met with the Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian armed forces.

In a development that has attracted particular attention in Egypt and the region, Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi unexpectedly met with the Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces, General El Sissi, last night (June 23).

Egyptian army tanks parked in front of the Presidential Palace (Photo: Reuters)

Egyptian and regional sources confirmed that the meeting focused on discussing the possibility of the Egyptian military acting as a mediator between factions and political forces vying for power and influence in Egyptian society.

The ultimate goal of this effort is to avoid the risk of bloodshed during the large-scale protests against President Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood across Egypt on June 30th – the one-year anniversary of President Mursi's rule. The protests, organized by opposition forces in Egypt, with the National Salvation Front as its core, aim to pressure President Mursi to resign and hold early presidential elections.

To date, no official information about the meeting has been released. However, according to some Arab sources, the Egyptian military may organize a national reconciliation dialogue conference with the participation of all factions in Egypt in the coming days, before June 30th.

Earlier yesterday morning, General El Sissi issued a statement that attracted significant public attention, asserting that the Egyptian army would not allow civil war or the collapse of the political system in Egypt, and calling on all factions and political forces in the country to put aside their differences and move towards reconciliation.

Analysts view the Egyptian Defense Minister's statement as a clear message about the national responsibility of the Egyptian armed forces, which took over leadership of Egypt after President Mubarak was forced to resign on January 25, 2011, due to pressure from prolonged mass protests.

In this message, the Egyptian military indirectly rejected the possibility of returning to Egyptian politics, as well as rumors of a so-called confrontation between the military and the Presidential Palace.

Wail Qandil, editor-in-chief of Egypt's "Dawn" newspaper, commented: "The messages recently sent by the Egyptian armed forces have clarified many factual issues. Most notably, they have disappointed many people's preconceived notions about the existence of a so-called confrontation between the military and the Presidential Palace. The messages refute this and strongly affirm that the military remains neutral in the current political conflict between factions in Egypt."

According to VOV - DT