The Egyptian military has issued another statement seeking to clarify the circumstances of its 48 hour deadline on the government.
Basically, they're saying that they're not engaging in a coup.
Despite vowing to wrest power from the Morsi government by announcing a "roadmap" for peace, the Military chief Abdul Fattah al Sisi insists the army is not being a political body, but rather exercising the will of the people.
Consequently, the will of the people — numbering now in the millions protesting in Cairo — is for embattled president Mohamed Morsi to quit.
Such an action on behalf of the military is the precise definition of "coup."
The other option the military laid out is for all political bodies to come to a compromise.
Easier said than done, from the BBC:
Given the inability of politicians from all sides to agree until now, it seems unlikely Mr Morsi can survive in power, says the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Cairo.
Here's the army's full statement, translated with google translate:
In light of the rumors on the lips of some of the characters on various media, which are trying to characterize the statement of the General Command of the Armed Forces as a "military coup" - emphasizes the military establishment on the following:
- That the doctrine and culture of the Egyptian armed forces do not allow a policy of "military coups" have already revealed the armed forces of the street Egypt in years [1977 - 1986 - 2011] did not capsize, but had always stood with the will of the Egyptian people great and aspirations for change and reform.
- Statement came in the armed forces for the purpose of payment of all political parties in the country to quickly find solutions to the current crisis and to reach a formula of national consensus that meets the requirements of the Egyptian people.
- We also emphasize that the statement of the General Command of the Armed Forces is the interaction with the pulse of the Egyptian street, has stressed that the armed forces would not be a party in politics or government department does not satisfy that out of its Decree her role in the authentic democratic thought emanating from the will of the people.