July 11, 2013 -- Updated 1201 GMT (2001 HKT)
Uncertainty ruled in Egypt on Wednesday as the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan began and the military said it would address the issues of this
week's deadly violence. FULL STORY
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WEDEMAN: REVOLUTION OF MIND
July 11, 2013 -- Updated 0018 GMT (0818 HKT)
A man rests on a bench Wednesday,
July 10, in Cairo as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan gets under way.
Egypt remains in a state of political paralysis following the ouster of
former President Mohamed Morsy. See photos of protests that have engulfed the country.
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Unrest in Egypt
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: More than 200 people detained during clashes face charges
- Reports: Cabinet posts will be offered to the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists
- A presidential declaration by Adly Mansour would grant him limited legislative powers
- The declaration outlines a timetable for parliamentary and presidential elections
Are you in Egypt? Send us your experiences, but please stay safe.
Read a version of this story in Arabic.
Cairo (CNN) -- Uncertainty ruled in Egypt Wednesday
as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began and the military said it would
address the issues of this week's deadly violence.Read a version of this story in Arabic.
It wasn't clear whether the religious observance would calm or inflame tensions a week after a military coup.
The military, which ousted President Mohamed Morsy
from office last week, said that 206 people who had been detained
Monday during deadly clashes with security forces face charges of
manslaughter, voluntary manslaughter, acts of violence and illegal
possession of firearms. The suspects will remain in police custody for
another 15 days while investigations into their actions continue. More
than 600 people in all were detained Monday.
The announcement comes as the military seeks to portray itself as a stabilizing force in the splintering nation.
The question remains: Who's on board?
Not the Muslim Brotherhood, according to the group's high official of religious law.
Youths' killing ignites outrage in Egypt
Writer: Morsy unwilling to be inclusive
Tensions high in Egypt
Grand Mufti Abdulruhman
Albir told the Reuters news agency that he does not recognize the
authority of the nation's interim president and will not negotiate until
Morsy regains power.
"Therefore, there is no need to speak about any decrees, because they were issued by people without authority," Albir said.
That's a direct
reference to Interim President Adly Mansour, who has issued a
constitutional declaration giving himself limited power to make laws and
outlined a timetable for parliamentary and presidential elections,
according to state media.
The grand mufti's
position is important because the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing,
the Freedom and Justice Party, won the most seats in parliamentary
elections. Morsy was elected president under the Freedom and Justice
Party banner.
On Wednesday,
prosecutors issued arrest warrants for the Brotherhood's chairman,
Mohammad Badei, and for the vice chairman of the Freedom and Justice
Party, Esam El Arian, state-run Nile TV reported.
The Egyptian government
said Wednesday that Morsy -- arrested last week during his ouster -- was
in a safe place, and that no charges have been filed against him.
"He is not free to go
around, but he's treated very well," acting Foreign Minister Mohammed
Kamel Amr told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "And you understand that this
is also for his own safety."
Interim government begins to take shape
Filling other key roles
are Hazem El-Beblawi, a liberal economist who was finance minister and
deputy prime minister, who will serve as the interim prime minister, and
Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning diplomat, who will
serve as interim vice president, the fledgling government said.
MENA, Egypt's official
news agency, also reported that cabinet posts will be offered to the
Freedom and Justice Party, as well as to the Salafist al-Nour Party.
But their participation
seems questionable with the Muslim Brotherhood not recognizing the
interim government and al-Nour -- which supported Morsy's ouster --
withdrawing from the talks to form an interim government after this
week's deadly confrontation between the military and Morsy supporters.
Fifty-one people died in the clashes outside Republican Guard headquarters. The military has promised to investigate.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Ali Ahmed said that even if invited, it could not participate in the interim government.
"More than 700 of our
members have been arrested, broadcasters have been shut down, and people
killed in front of the Republican Guard," he said. "It is impossible to
speak under the current circumstances. There is no way to have
negotiations."
Egypt after Morsy: Turbulent transition
Egypt FM: Elections in 7 months
More than 50 dead in Egypt clashes
Money pours in
Even as the interim
government struggled to unify political support at home, it picked up
the financial support of some regional heavyweights -- neither are fans
of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Saudi Arabia's finance
minister said the kingdom has pledged $5 billion in grants and loans to
the interim government, according to the official Saudi news agency
SAPA.
And the United Arab
Emirates will give $1 billion to Egypt and lend it another $2 billion as
an interest-free central bank deposit, state news agency WAM reported
Tuesday.
Washington's support
For now, the United States continues to support Egypt financially.
The White House has
refused to describe as a coup the military's ouster of Morsy, who was
reportedly being held under arrest at the Republican Guard headquarters.
Doing so would require the United States to suspend its $1.3 billion in
annual military aid to Egypt.
It is in the interest of
the United States and the Egyptian people "in their transition to
democracy to take the time necessary to evaluate the situation before
making such a determination," White House spokesman Jay Carney said
Tuesday.
But he added that U.S.
officials were "cautiously encouraged" that the interim government's
plan "includes a return to democratically elected government that
includes presidential and parliamentary elections."
In response to a
question, State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki told reporters
that, "broadly speaking," the administration still believes that
continuing military aid is a U.S. national security priority.
But Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, has called for a suspension of military aid to Egypt.
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