General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi Commander in Chief Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense & Military Production Sunday,

August 18, 2013 Before I start, I'd like to call on all of you to pay homage to the blessed souls of the military and police martyrs of the last days. I'd like to speak openly to you that every time I start my words, I always say "we, all of us here, are honorable men, we are sincere men". Mark my words: do not ever think you stand for treachery or betrayal, cunning or conspiracy, never. We have no such traits and I hereby reiterate this truth. I remind you and myself of who we are: we do not know how to deceive or conspire, betray or do mischief. We are an honorable and patriotic institution that showed full respect, appreciation and honor for a whole year. This is the time frame I set for my word today to remind both of us that we acted honorably and sincerely. We reported every assessment of what we saw coming. And I say what we are approaching now is no surprise neither for them nor for us. We could see that coming very clearly. We gave alerts and said that Egypt would be doomed to meet a fate of civil strife with a religious tilt. We said the existing conflict would shift from a political to a religious strife. Some would fuel the tension among the people to falsely project a war against Islam and the Moslems. No.. Never. Whoever you are this is off limit. You think you own Islam? Hasn't anybody told you who we are? We might as well be devout Moslems as keen as you on Islam. I want you to know that if you find something in Islam that terrifies or frightens you, take a moment and think it over. Let me say that again. If you find in the Islam one offers you something frightening, scaring or terrifying, then you need to verify such Islam. Never has Islam been as such, frightening or terrifying no matter who speaks about Islam and how good they are. Islam can simply reach everyone and can embrace all. After the Eminent Mufti spoke about Islam, no one can say more. I just wanted to briefly refer to that. The clip you just showed reminds us of what happened last November. At that time we said "Gentlemen, you need to get together. Sit down for reconciliation. This is what matters. Together, find a way out". That did not target single people; it was meant for all. Nothing happened. Later, while at the Military Academy we said the conflict was causing the country to drift to a dark tunnel. At that time, people wondered why General Al-Sisi was giving that alarm, why heading to a dark tunnel. I want here to stress that people were not caught off guard. Absolutely not. In taking every action, we were candid, fair and honest. We were sincere and above all we provided insight, a clear understanding of a doomed future. We said if we did not tackle those issues, we would likely slip into a civil strife. Be careful Those were our words. And we were patient, time and again, and spoke utterly with those in-charge. We alarmed them of the huge problem the country was heading to. We warned against a civil war and told them that I, the military, wouldn't know what to do. If those millions of people taking out to the streets were not heard, they would turn aggressive. At that moment, the pro-regime would misperceive that they were defending Islam. I said that loud and clear, and God is my witness, this year in March to the former president. I told him exactly what was going to happen and said the hands of the military would be tied should that take place. How would I ever handle or deal with that? This is what was said. We hid nothing from them nor did we hide any of the subsequent developments of the situation and what it would lead to. We saw that coming, we were concerned, and we warned against it so that we would not come to this point. However, the practices of a nascent democracy in a country like Egypt are still fledging. For people to become adept and handle things their own way takes years. What I saw, frankly, was that the past regime used democracy as a ladder to ascend to power. Then did it kick off the ladder afterwards? What do you think? No. It took the ladder and was kept up there with the authority. It kept the ladder so that no one else would climb. I swear to God once again, I was told they came to rule for five hundred years, five hundred years. How come? One will rule as long as the

people have consent. One will rule as long as the people are satisfied with the performance. One will rule as long as the people accept that. But, will you rule and suppress the will of the people? Almighty, himself, grants people their free will to whether worship Him or not. You know what this means? It means God gives man the choice either to believe in Him or to disbelieve. Then, on the Doom's Day, everyone will stand before the Lord and justify their choice. Everyone will be held accountable for their free choosing. But, you want to rule me and you imagine you own the truth, the exclusive truth, while we all are not as righteous. You then will teach us religion and goodness and we will have to submissive and accepting and you will not let us do otherwise. To you I say NO. No, the Egyptians have a free will and are entitled to choose their ruler as they please. And we are entrusted to guard such will. The military and the police now- are entrusted to ensure the will of the people to freely choose their rulers. Definitely. To those people I say: never imagine we don't see things clearly, or that we don't have clean hands. No. We fear God and know we'll stand before Him. We're not afraid of death. We only fear the Lord who will judge us. And as we firmly believe that what we do is right, we do not heed death, at all. We know death keeps no calendar and that its whereabouts lies in the hands of our Maker. But it is the people's will that God Almighty bestows on them; can anyone dare take that away while we are here? I answered that before and said we'd rather die first. It is significant here to address a relevant issue. Some say this is a military rule. I solemnly swear this is not a military rule. Neither is there a desire nor a will to rule Egypt. I'd like you to know that the honor of guarding the people's will is more sublime, to us and to me personally, than the honor of ruling Egypt and God is my witness. The honor of protecting the people's will and freedom of choice and freedom of leading their own life is, to me and I swear to God, greater than the honor of ruling Egypt. Listen carefully, we aspire for nothing but to see our country standing proudly worldwide, nothing more. I mentioned the military rule because there are people, some people, who think what we did was to backtrack and rule Egypt once again. No. When we declared the roadmap, the communiqu was clear. There are an interim president and a team of advisors who are leading the country and the Premier along with the ministers who heads the cabinet of which I am a just member. Nothing more. And I don't desire for more. This is the case here, it is not a military government. Listen to me closely. I am saying this because I want my colleagues in the military and the police as well as the audience to know exactly where we stand. What we simply did was to spare the country a major crisis and a civil strife. We said we were ready to switch places with the Egyptians. I say: instead of having Egyptians fight each other, people can fight us and we will protect everybody. How many are going to fight us compared to a whole population fighting one another. The latter may claim thousands if not millions of lives. But to fight us, we can endure anything for the sake of our country. Are we to blame for loving our country? You blame us for loving our homeland? If otherwise, would life be worth living, my fellow men? Or what would manhood or chivalry stand for when people at home get scared and terrified while we complacently live our life? What will we say to our Maker on the Day of Judgment? Aren't we the ones responsible for the security of the people? Should they be frightened or horrified while we are around? This is the responsibility and duty we will be held accountable for before God. He will ask us if we've delivered for the people and ensured their will. I've elaborated because we need to recognize the magnitude of what we did and why we did it. We did not act for power or office, or even desired to alienate anyone. We said we would respect the will of the Egyptians and had turned over the authority, for real, to whom the people chose. Yet, the Egyptians, in less than a year, said that was enough. The Egyptians wanted that no more and took out to the streets in millions. This is important on 26 July, on 24 July; we called upon the people to take out to the streets to give us a mandate to counter potential violence and terror. On 24 July at 2 O'clock in the afternoon, I sent my message to all Egyptians and requested them to grant us a mandate to check POTENTIAL violence and terror. Truly, scores of millions flooded the

streets. But behind the call was an aim that did not only target what we requested from the Egyptians. It was a proof to the whole world -that failed to recognize the Egyptiansand the media, the foreign media that also denied the people what they were capable of in only one and a half days to act. One should have seen the numbers responding on such short notice only to contemplate what that reflected, what that expressed. Could that huge number have moved unless there had been a real will, a real demand for change and support of the new reality? This is number one. Two, it was an opportunity for that faction to see for themselves, if they could not see that before, that it was a real popular will and a real rejection. Third, it is a must for the military and police personnel to think deeply about what they are doing. You need to see how much trust the Egyptians have laid in us. This is momentous. And we are up to it. With God's will, we can bear this trust. And the people went out on the 26th to say, "You now act in the name of the people of Egypt to guard this nation against potential violence and terrorism". Well, the people thought that a day or two later we would deal with the sitins in Nahda and Raba'a. But, we offered enough time to those, near and far, to whoever asked to mediate, to resolve the crisis peacefully. When we met with them we used to leave them with a question that still holds: do the others, not we, intend to engage politically or to move toward a confrontation? If this question is answered, any other thing is feasible. Are the others ready to join their fellow Egyptians in elections based on real democratic process in the coming period according to the declared path? Or are they seeking a confrontation? These were the questions I raised with all officials who came to Egypt. I asked them about the others' strategic objective. What is it? Is it to destroy the country or join in the building effort? This is important and things need to be clear. If this comes to the building and the reconstruction of the country, then who dares refuse that? But if the target is to destroy the homeland and the people, then who dares accept that? Who dares approve of that? Or rather, who dares stand still? NO. Devastating a country and its people will never go unpunished. I am not threatening anyone, I am not threatening. I merely say that if the target is the destruction of the country and people of Egypt, then here is a big NO. We are fully prepared. An act like this brings the wrath of God. The Lord approves no such thing. But, while some are wrongdoers, we'll be there for them. And the more they amend themselves, the closer we'll be in their support. I will speak about the lost opportunities, the once opened windows. Here, I'd like to say that over this past year, there were numerous chances for corrective paths and possible convergence of the former regime and the rest of the players among the political forces, the public opinion and others. Unfortunately, time and again opportunities were missed. Intransigence, misperception of the right path, and the illusions of an all-out conspiracy by the judiciary, the media, the political powers, the military -no need to mention morewere overwhelming. Well, I said then "would you rule yourselves and that's it? Or would you rather lead the whole Egyptian nation? If you wish so, then find a formula for common understanding, cooperation and co-existing among all shades of the Egyptian people". Yet, this did not happen. Here, I would reiterate the sequence of the opportunities. Initially, demands called for a small government reshuffle and the change of the Prosecutor-General. Then, the calls rose to demand an extensive cabinet change. Next, the whole government was to be removed. It was a lost opportunity after another while we were firmly alarming them that the country was drifting toward a dangerous confrontation. The problem is that their dominating ideology is completely different from that of a state and I mentioned that before. The perception, the mindset, is entirely different and produces claims of having the absolute and conspicuous truth while the others are totally astray. If so, and 95 percent of the Egyptians are the latter, why then are you keen on ruling them? I asked. A lost opportunity it is. A seven-day deadline was wasted so were the extra and final 48 hours. I'd like here to probe the value and weight of the homeland in the hearts and minds of those individuals. Mind this: if it is either my fall or the country's, which will I choose? Does the sense of duty, responsibility and devotion dictate the fall of the country or the

fall of the regime? Who is to go? It's definitely the regime. It is a farewell then, but Egypt stays. This is the thoughtful answer of any patriotic leader who loves God and country. It is Egypt versus the regime what then? Is it either to tear down the whole country or to rule? Then it is a simply NO. We should never rule if the people are deprived from security and peace. Let me say that again; if you do not rule, people can live safely and peacefully and the country survives, then don't rule. But no, it seems THEY have a different agenda. THEY'd rather tear the country apart and take down its military and police. Within days, police stations and facilities would collapse similar to what happened on 25 and 28 January, 2011. People would be terrorized. For two years, the people, men and women in the street walking and riding, have lived under the shadow of fear generated by the rulers' illusion of reform. I'm saying this because it could have been avoided when we met with the former president and requested to put himself in a public referendum the result of which would silence the opposition should he win or silence the supporters should he lose. Anyone who leads a country and upholds the higher interest of the nation will simply accept this. But no it was like either his way or no way. It was either he or chaos; either he or the bloodshed. Why does it have to be like this? Don't the people have the right to say NO? He said, "Wait four years and then we'll see in the next presidential elections". Can the country afford four whole years? Those were all lost opportunities. Again I say, the communiqu came in clear wording and sorted out all conflicts simply and quietly. We declared that within nine months a welldesigned roadmap would put us back on track. The one with a majority would have a second chance. It was a simple solution without having to resort to a single extraordinary measure. Let me pause here to address an extremely important point. I dont want to utter so many solemn oaths, yet God bears witness to my words: never ever has any coordination taken place internationally with any country regarding any such issues. When I say we are honorable men, I MEAN it. These are not empty words. We had no coordination or collaboration with any party. Nor did we ask for permission to protect our country, at all. Just like that another opportunity was lost. It would have been possible for the supporters to stand down once the communiqu was issued and reassess their position. At that crossroad, one should wonder how we reached that point, what the best interest of the country was and how well we delivered. Impartially, one could resign to the circumstance and perhaps apologize for the mismanagement of the country during that year. Yes, apologize for the poor performance they delivered for the people of Egypt. Say thank you and apologize then put yourself together and move on. Now, isn't that another opportunity yet to be wasted? Isn't it? Because this simply could have spared us what happened, to say the least. That chaotic time would have been avoided had that opportunity been seized. Then look at what happened the following days. There were attempts to change the situation by force. Innocent people were attacked in the streets. Then, another lost opportunity was in the wake of 26 July. While Egyptians took to the streets on that day, a mischief was contrived overnight only to leave the foreign media with a violent last impression. And THEY would cry: "We are being killed, we are being persecuted". This is the picture THEY fake to the media. I say to them, "You are not planning to serve your country. You are not planning to make your country greater. You are not planning to serve your fellow citizens. You are only plotting to rule them and nothing more. And to you I say [and to everybody] the challenges facing our country are colossal. Perhaps, I did not bring up that topic before, at least not publicly. But I shared this concern with all political powers I've met since April or rather March 2011. I had a different duty at the time and I used to tell them that the security, political, social, economic, and even religious challenges were immeasurable in Egypt. These are accumulations of long years. Unless the Egyptians unite in solidarity, the challenges can overwhelm Egypt. But they cannot beat the Egyptians. Yes, the challenges existing in Egypt are huge, perhaps too big for a country like Egypt, but not unconquerable before the capabilities of the Egyptian nation and its people. The people are capable of

overcoming them. If this is the case, do some imagine they can manage while alienating the 90 or 95 percent of the Egyptians? Can anybody imagine that they alone can lead to the country and take it to safety and peace? This is impossible. Again, that was another example of the lost opportunities. Yes, lost opportunities. What we are undergoing now is a continuation of those opportunities unless we come together unless we become as one. If there is a perception that violence can get the country or the people to kneel, there is a need to reconsider. NO, and I'll say it again; it's not going to happen as long as the military and the police are on the alert. And I say to you, the military and the police, Egypt totally entrusts us, all of us, so be good keepers of this trust. It's not like that we call for elimination or attrition. What we'll do is that we will defend our homeland and our people. Well, is the path we've declared vulnerable to change? NO. This is a roadmap that offers Egyptians a chance to regain their free will and cast their free votes. Whoever wins the most votes will be duly recognized. Again, this is relevant to the missed opportunities I have been mentioning only to hope there will be no more lost opportunities. This country can embrace people beyond limit. But, the confrontation will not serve the purpose of its seekers because we're predetermined to protect Egypt and the Egyptians. I repeat it is our unwavering commitment to guarding the Egyptian nation not only committed but capable, as well. I'd like to say to my fellow Egyptians: you took to the streets to give us a mandate and a command to provide you security and counter potential violence and terror. Let me take some time on this topic because it did not merely mean the dissolution of Raba'a. This may be a continued effort, to be clearly stated. I also say to Egyptians that your taking out is an obligation on all of us, but you have a role, too. For us, we will sacrifice our souls to fulfill our duty. And we will sacrifice lovingly for the Egyptians, all Egyptians, Moslems and Christians all the same, for this homeland. As for you, wherever you live, you have neighbors. I hope you'll take up a positive role with neighbors who have different affiliation. Be prudent, be benevolent and ask those neighbors to please stay home. Tell them the country needs them now and ask them not to go out to join the commotion. Tell them you and they need to build the country together. Tell them the last thing we need now is more violence or more bloodshed. If Egyptians can do that all over the country, their role, although some may see little, will be very significant in the protection of Egypt just as important as the role we do as military and police. Remember what we said during the combat inspection of the 9th Division. We said standing hours and hours in the voting lines was much better than any other thing. Those words were not directed only to the supporters but also to the opposition. Instead of sitting in Raba'a for 45 days, you can wait 10 hours in line and cast your free vote. Yes, it is a simple but significant role on the part of the citizens. Another role of the Egyptian citizens is never to fear or panic calm down. No one will be allowed to frighten our people or terrorize them, ever. And please, double your effort at work and don't give anyone from such current the chance to interrupt your work. Let's all work, let's build our country and let's move forward. This is what we need to do. We want the Egyptian citizens to play their roles, all Egyptians. Tell those neighbors please no more. If we can do this, we will effectively contribute to avoid bloodshed and casualties. We will moreover help quell this sedition. I'm not asking for much yet it is a positive role. And again, don't let anybody interrupt the work because this is another form of tearing the country down. We all need to carry on work and if some of them are around, request them to work along or keep silent. But work should by no means get interrupted. This is the country of all of us. Another outstanding role is undertaken by Al-Azhar. This institution is the religious authority in Egypt. Terrorism and extremism will never be countered unless Al-Azhar receives our highest respect and esteem. We will hold Al-Azhar in the most dignified position. I shouldn't be understood as encouraging Al-Azhar; I am only stating facts. Both Al-Azhar and the Church as religious institutions should have the upper hand when

it comes to religious teachings. By the way, we in the Armed Forces have asked a host of eminent clerics to write us the Friday Sermons for the 52 weeks of the year to be disseminated to the units and read during the Friday Prayers. This is not meant to fill the brains with certain dogmas this is not our style. We simply do not believe that religion, the most cherished part of our entity, can be left for just anyone. This is what I mean when I say that our religious institutions, Al-Azhar and the Church, should be empowered to teach and educate the people about their religion so that we dont have to go back this same road again. The Egyptian nature reflects simplicity and tolerance. Yet, Egyptians are not forgetful. They remember well who offend them and are always grateful to those who help. Allow me at this moment to ask you all to express our gratitude and appreciation of those who have given us a hand, our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and a very special greeting to King Abdullah who has taken the strongest Saudi action for us since 1973. I'll mention the brothers one at a time so each one can be greeted. This is an honorable Arab stance whether on the part of the brothers in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan or Bahrain. Our thanks and appreciation to all who stand by Egypt. Egypt will always be grateful to you. In this context, I'd like to send a message to the others. I say to those please reconsider. And if you truly advocate freedom, democracy and legitimacy, then know that legitimacy is in the hands of the Egyptians who grant it to whomever they choose and regain it at will. Legitimacy is the exclusive right of the Egyptians and they are the ones to give and the ones to take it back. So please reconsider. Only Egyptians decide whom to give and when to get it back and we have to respect the Egyptian people. We must show them respect and we must honor their will. Again please reconsider your stances regarding the Egyptian people not anyone else. I haven't talked about the security measures of the last few days. They have received a lot of media attention. However, very honestly, we are keen to save bloodshed, seriously. But are the others just as keen to spare the shedding of our blood or not? Equally important: are they just as keen to avoid shedding their own blood or not? When those last few days witness police stations and facilities country-wide come under attack claiming martyrs from the police and lives of some assailants, death becomes the price of a wrong dogma, a misconception. Does anybody think that police stations and precincts will be left to fall and so will Egypt? What for? Why do YOU want Egypt to fall? NO. Police, military and state facilities are off limit. We will not stand still and we will stop this with all force and resolve. We have been absorbing blows over the past months in Sinai. A lot of brave men were either killed or injured on the line of duty and we suffered a lot of damage in the equipment although there was no justification to target the police and the military during the last thirty months, no reason whatsoever. Our men used discretion and were there to secure this precious part of Egypt. They sought no confrontations. They showed maximum restraint and patience in carrying out their missions so things wouldn't get out of hand. I re-emphasize the degree of restraint and self control in all of our reactions. REACTIONS not actions, because we did not want to see victims even if some of those had the wrong ideology and used arms against us. I tell you there will be on no more of that. There will be no more restraint and absorption of blows because eventually the situation will lead to severely risking the national security of Egypt, to put it bluntly. We won't allow attacks on police precincts, stations, capitol buildings, state economic assets and facilities and, equally, private property. I am saying there will be no more of this. Once again I say it loud and clear: we will stop that with all force and resolve. The perpetrators are not committing a crime; they are undermining the Egyptian state. If we did not fight back, we would be accomplices in the destruction of Egypt. Would we destroy the country with our own hands? Answer me [audience: no, sir]. I mean it: Would we destroy the country with our own hands? [Audience: NO, SIR]. O.K. then, we will stand up fully alert, vigilant and aware, equipped with all the knowledge we have to fight the violence we're going to face. Yes, we will be ready, very well-prepared and steadfast. We, people, military and police, are a unified

hand. There were voices calling for dissolving the sit-ins peacefully. That was ensured. We spent days discussing all the details that would enable us to come up with a technique free of casualties. But what can I do and what can my police colleagues do when the security forces were going in to clear the camps only to find individuals on top of surrounding buildings firing at them? What could the police do when armed elements hid among protestors and opened fire? I'm not saying that all protestors were shooting live fire; let it suffice to have 20, 30 or 50 shooters in a protest with that size. For a sitin and its peaceful dispersing that a lot of voices call for, and I mean foreign voices, to them I say: go back to any typical sit-in you've had in your countries, see if one single demonstrator carried a weapon or used violence, and see, if that was the case, how your security dealt with it. I mention this as I conclude my words and I stress that we are keen on avoiding the bloodshed of all Egyptians. And we are completely honest when we deal with them. I only hope that religious current can reciprocate the same honesty. There is a treacherous nature that some demonstrate, shooting people in the back and excelling in the hit and run. Only yesterday, and it's not a secret anymore, in the Cairo residential area of Ain Shams while the troops were ensuring the curfew, snipers in an apartment building under the construction [again] targeted our soldiers. I just can't see why. For all these actions, we are ready and well-prepared. Finally, I'd like to say that we, in good faith, have open arms for all Egyptians as long as they share the same feelings. If otherwise, then we have no other option but to fight back forcibly and aggressively. Why? In order to protect Egypt, protect the Egyptian State. The last thing I'll say is that the protection of the Egyptian State lies on the shoulders of the military, the police and the Egyptian people. Thank you