Egypt's FM: Army has no role in political life during transition

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said he assured US Secretary of State John Kerry in a telephone call on Thursday that the army has no political role in the upcoming transitional phase. The roadmap for the transitional period revealed that the army will have no role in "political life" during the transitional period, Amr stressed. Amr told Kerry that "what happened in Egypt was not a military coup," adding that the role of the Armed Forces in the transition is confined to securing the Egyptians and vital institutions nationwide. In the meantime, the White House said US President Barack Obama's national security team is contacting Egypt's officials to convey the importance of a quick return to a democratically elected civilian government. The army declared on Wednesday the transfer of the president's powers to the head of the Constitutional Court and suspension of the constitution temporarily.