Top generals hold emeregency meeting CAIRO — Egypt's president Sunday ordered the Islamist-dominated parliament to reconvene in defiance of a military decree dissolving the legislature last month on the basis of a ruling by the country's top court, the state news agency reported. The surprise move by President Mohamed Mursi will almost certainly lead to a clash with the powerful generals who formally handed power to him on June 30 after spending 16 months at the nation's helm following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising. The move also reflects confusion in the roles and powers of Egypt's governing institutions, with the constitution in force under Mubarak suspended after the uprising and no new one adopted. Open confrontation between the two sides is certain to plunge the country into a new bout of political instability, adding to the many woes Egypt has experienced since Mubarak's ouster by a popular uprising in 2011. Already, the country has been beset by a surge of crime, a faltering economy, a seemingly endless series of strikes, sit-ins and demonstrations. In the first sign of an imminent crisis, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the formal name of the body grouping the nation's top generals, held an “emergency meeting" shortly after Mursi's decree was announced. The official Middle East News Agency said the generals met to “review and discuss the consequences" of Mursi's decision. The council has yet to publicly comment on the president's decision. The decree by Mursi, a longtime member of the Muslim Brotherhood group, also called for new parliamentary elections to be held within 60 days of the adoption of a new constitution for the country, which is not expected before late this year. Last month, the then-ruling military generals dissolved the legislature when the Supreme Constitutional Court, the country's highest tribunal, ruled that a third of its members had been elected illegally. The text of Mursi's decree made no mention of the Supreme Constitutional Court, saying it was only revoking the military's own decree to disband the legislature. The military announced a “constitutional declaration" on June 16 that gave it legislative powers in the absence of parliament and stripped Mursi of much of his powers. Mursi's decree came only hours after he met with a senior US official who gave him a message from President Barack Obama. US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns told reporters after the meeting that Egyptians could rely on US support as they try to realize their aspirations. “Egyptians know far better than we do that their aspirations are not yet fully realized, but they can count on America's partnership on the complicated road ahead," Burns said. — AP
