By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta commends
Egyptian Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, the country’s top military officer, and
his staff for supporting a secure, free and fair election in Egypt, Pentagon
Press Secretary George Little said today.
Egypt's election commission announced
June 24 that Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi won the presidential
runoff over Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under deposed leader Hosni
Mubarak.
Little said the secretary placed two
phone calls to Tantawi, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces,
late last week to express his desire for the Egyptian military to support a
free and fair election, “and that’s precisely what occurred.”
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke this morning with his Egyptian counterpart,
Lt. Gen. Sami Hafez Enan, Little added.
“The tenor of all these discussions has
been to express a desire to encourage the Egyptian military to support the
democratic process,” the press secretary said, “and we’ve seen what’s occurred
in Egypt.”
Egypt has an enduring role as a security
partner and leader in promoting regional stability, “and we look forward to
working with the new government on a host of issues," Little told
reporters last week.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment