Egypt's SCAF reaffirms plans June 30 handover

The Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces (SCAF), ruling the country since the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak, said Wednesday it would hand over authority to a civilian-elected government on June 30 regardless whether the new constitution is complete or not. Addressing the Constituent Assembly meeting here this evening, SCAF member Maj.-Gen. Mamdouh Shahin said: "Nobody is allowed to dictate to the Council or interfere in the affairs of the Constituent Assembly." Commenting on the controversy over the Assembly's set-up, Maj.-Gen. Shahin said: "The Assembly is the third newborn child of the democratic process after the People's Assembly (lower house of parliament) and the Shura Council (upper house)." "We (the SCAF members) don't favor any specific political party over another; the third newborn has come to existence as a result of the free will of Egyptian people who are happy with it," he made clear. He expressed hope that the new constitution will reflect the aspirations of the broad political spectrum of the nation.