Mansour affirms commitment to roadmap in first TV interview

“There is no turning back on the set roadmap for the transitional period,” said interim President Adly Mansour in his first television interview late Tuesday, affirming the government’s commitment to the stated timeline “despite attempts by some to obstruct it.”

Mansour was appointed interim president of Egypt in early July after the military forced former President Mohamed Morsi out of office following mass protests calling for his removal.

Despite his official title, Mansour rarely addresses the nation, leading many to question the extent of his authority. He is seldom heard from, unlike other officials, in particular military Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

In his interview on state television, Mansour said that reconciliation and holding perpetrators of violence accountable are not mutually exclusive, adding that the rule of law will be applied equally to all.

Commenting on the month-long state of emergency and accompanying curfew, imposed the night of August 14 after two sit-ins demanding the reinstatement of Morsi were forcibly dispersed, Mansour said he expected both to be lifted if the security situation continues to improve.

He added that greater stability and security would have a direct impact on the ailing economy, in particular tourism and investment.

Ongoing bouts of violence following the dispersals have impinged further on Egypt’s already suffering economy, despite the pledges of aid that flowed in after Morsi’s ouster from Gulf countries to the tune of US$12 billion.

On the dispersals he said, “We tried to end the chaos peacefully and ensure safe exits for those at the sit-ins but these calls went unheeded, and security forces were ordered to exercise self-restraint using all legal means.”

According to official figures from the Health Ministry, more than 600 people died and thousands were injured when security forces moved in to disperse the sit-ins at Rabea al-Adaweya and Nahda Square. Brotherhood officials and media outlets have reported a much higher death toll.

Mansour said that the matter of disbanding the Brotherhood is in the hands of the judiciary.

The Commissioner Authority of the State Council recommended on Monday in a report to the council’s Administrative Court that the Muslim Brotherhood be disbanded and its headquarters closed. It further recommended that the Brotherhood’s NGO status, which it gained on March 19, be annulled.

In the interview, Mansour also touched on Egypt’s foreign relations.

He stressed that Egypt is against any military action in Syria, affirming the need to find political solutions to the crisis.

Meanwhile, he commended the stances of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Emirates, who have overtly supported Morsi’s removal and the interim government. Qatar, on the other hand, which enjoyed warm relations with Egypt under Morsi’s rule, has been a stanch critic. “We are almost out of patience with Qatar’s stance,” Mansour said in the interview.

Turkey has been another vocal critic of the military and the interim government, which was “unexpected,” Mansour said.

“Turkey must not look at the situation through the prism of one entity or faction,” he said, adding that he hopes that relations between the two relations will improve.