Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Connect the World Special Edition: President Morsy Ousted
Aired July 04, 2013 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: We're live in Cairo once again for you this evening witnessing what many consider to be here, Egypt's second revolution. You'll hear the crowds once again behind me in Tahrir Square. Those who are celebrating the end of the former government here.
This is the scene at 10:00 pm in Tahrir Square filled with people celebrating the overthrow and replacement of president Mohamed Morsy.
A top judge Adly Mansour took his spot today. He will serve as interim president until new elections. This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADLY MANSOUR, INTERIM PRESIDENT OF EGYPT (through translator): I swear by Allah, that's I will remain faithful and I will respect the law and this constitution. And then I will take care of the interests of the people and preserve the independence of this country and all its territory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: But supporters of Mohamed Morsy are not giving up. They're planning a Friday of rejections (ph), they call it. Urging Egyptians nationwide to peacefully demonstrate Friday against this overthrow.
Now the Muslim Brotherhood says Morsy is under house arrest. And state media say he has refused a military offer to leave the country.
Now that military also has been arresting Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including the supreme leader himself, Mohammed Badie. It's also shut down pro-Morsy TV channels.
Well, during this hour we're going to hear from voices across the political divide and spectrum tonight. And there is still a very polarized political scene here in Egypt. Opposition leader Mohamed El Baradei may have an influential role in the transitional government. I spoke to him earlier on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP))
MOHAMED EL BARADEI, OPPOSITION LEADER: It was a very painful decision to make, you know. Either, you know, either to continue and risk a civil war situation or take some exceptional measures to make correction of the uprising of 2011.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right.
Well, we'll also speak with Mohamad El Masry who is a professor at the American University in Cairo. Now he is opposed to what has happened over the past 24 hours. He says opposition protesters essentially support democracy only when it suits them.
And with me here in the studio tonight is Khalid Fami, head of the history department at The American University here in Cairo. He believes that Mohamed Morsy squandered his democratic right to rule this country.
Well, of course, we also have our correspondents out and about for you this evening. We'll be getting to them very, very shortly. You'll get a sense of exactly what is going on here in Cairo, here in Egypt, and how what happens here reflects on not just a region, but the entire world.
Well, many people are not familiar with Adly Mansour, but they will be familiar with a man called Mohamed El Baradei, one of the most prominent Egyptians to play a role on the international field over the past few years. He is now a very significant figure in the opposition movement against the former president here Mohamed Morsy.
He's a lawyer. He's a diplomat, civil servant and a scholar. Outside of Egypt he's been best known as one of the lead UN arms inspectors before the Gulf War in 2003 and of course for his time as director general of the nuclear watchdog the IAEA until late 2009.
He and the International Atomic Energy Agency were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for their efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.
Since moving back to Egypt and giving up the job at the IAEA, he has delved into politics and was an important figure in the 2011 revolution which ousted the former president. He has the support of the opposition June 30 movement and is regarded as a top contender to lead a new transitional government.
Well, I sat down with Mohamed El Baradei earlier on today for his take on what is happening here. It's been such a fast moving series of events. Some who were here have said it's taken a year, some have said it's taken 60 years, but over the last, what, 48 hours things really haven't stopped.
I put it to him whether he thinks what has happened in the past 24 hours was indeed a military coup. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EL BARADEI: It's not a coup, Becky. I mean, unfortunately it's a sad situation we are in. It's a painful situation. We thought that we went through -- you know, a fairly free, you know, presidential election. And then unfortunately the president messed up. And, you know, when you end up with 20 million people in the street, you know, of a state of mind that he needs to go and needs to go now, you know, it's a sad state.
It was a very painful decision to make, you know. Either to continue and risk a civil war situation or take some exceptional measures to make correction of the uprising of 2011.
ANDERSON: So when the U.S. says it is deeply concerned, and Germany called this a heavy setback for democracy, you say what?
EL BARADEI: I say we are also deeply concerned, you know, but we -- this is basically a measure to restore democracy. This is basically a measure - - it is (inaudible) of the measure we need to take in order to go on the right track. We need a competent government to fix security and fix the economy, which is bust.
So we are also deeply concerned and hopefully we get to try this time.
ANDERSON: You need Washington to pony up at this stage, don't you?
EL BARADEI: We need everybody to pony up, frankly. And I had a long conversations with Secretary Kerry last night. I am the one, you know, to start with as a lawyer, I want always to be within the bound of constitutional legality. But when we are -- or we were, or still are between a rock and a hard place. You know, either you risk a civil war and, you know, you have quite a few of them around us, or as I said take extra constitutional measures to ensure that we get the country together.
ANDERSON: Lots of talk about the restoration of democracy. But how do you explain to Morsy's supporters that this is a democracy going forward when they've lost their man who was democratically elected.
EL BARADEI: I would explain it that this is a recall, you know, and it is nothing novel. I mean, you have a lot of recalls, you know, of the U.S. in -- you know, Governor Davis was recalled in California. I think the governor of Minnesota last year.
ANDERSON: Slightly different, though, isn't it?
EL BARADEI: Well, we could have that through a referendum, but we didn't have the luxury to wait for recferendum.
ANDERSON: So Morsy could run again at this stage?
EL BARADEI: I assume so, although I don't think he would.
ANDERSON: How do you go about making a multi-party democracy here?
EL BARADEI: We are not looking into party affiliation, we are looking into a government that can ensure law and order, ensure that the economy will go back on track, ensure that there is some form of social justice, ensure that people feel that there is something positive...
ANDERSON: Does that mean excluding people, then?
EL BARADEI: No, no. Absolutely. I mean, I think -- I would hope, you know qualified people, from the salafis should be part of this government. That we need -- everybody needs to be part of the political process. We need a cohesive society that is tolerant that respect each other's differences.
ANDERSON: What's your role going forward?
EL BARADEI: I hope I'll be (inaudible) I mean, I'm very -- I'm getting on with the (inaudible), Becky. And I, you know, I think I'll be much more effective doing what I'm doing now is making sure that people get together, making sure I send a message of national reconciliation, of -- you know, the country focusing on real priorities, the 50 percent who are below the poverty level, education, health care. And I'll do whatever I can do.
ANDERSON: Do you want to be president?
EL BARADEI: No. I frankly don't. I definitely see my family is vehemently opposed to even the idea of that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Well, we'll get more from Mohamed ElBardei later on in this show in what was an extended and fascinating interview with a man who is really at the heart of politics here once again in Egypt this day.
Let me get you now a sense of what's going on behind me in Tahrir Square. One of my correspondents Karl Penhaul is on that part of the story for you this evening and joins us now.
Just if you can, describe the mood at this hour, because certainly it is noisy once again behind me today.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And quite surprising, because during the day the numbers in the square dwindled to just a few hundred stragglers, but at night fell literally tens of thousands of Egyptians have once again thronged Tahrir Square. They're definitely in the mood to party here for a second night.
There's a lot of firecrackers going off. There's a lot of celebration down there. People out there with families, groups of people, a lot of flag waving going on. Right now, nobody seems that concerned that the country's constitution is in limbo. Right now, nobody seems bothered about how long it will be before the military steps back out of politics again. And right now, nobody seems to be even asking when exactly they will get a chance to vote for a new president.
Right now, there is one reason for this celebration, they are still celebrating the ouster of President Morsy and his followers in the Muslim Brotherhood, Becky.
ANDERSON: We've also seen today arrests across the Muslim Brotherhood, some very significant figures being arrested today, Karl. I know you've got people in amongst you or below you, who aren't supporters of the Brotherhood, but isn't this surely reminiscent of the Mubarak era crackdown on what was a movement that had absolutely no foothold in politics until the end of the Hosni Mubarak regime?
PENHAUL: Well, certainly the word witch hunt does come to mind. And that's probably a word that the Muslim Brotherhood are using tonight, because in the course of the day the prosecutor general's office issued arrest warrants for 250 members of the Muslim Brotherhood and we do know that probably dozens of those have already been arrested, including some very senior figures.
In fact, one of the spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood said this has gone much further than a military coup, in his words. He said what is now going on is the military is setting about systematically dismantling the Brotherhood. That is certainly what they fear.
But right now, at least, the Brotherhood does not seem to have made good on earlier threats to defend the ousted regime right to the death, because even here in Tahrir Square there are no longer any military or police cordons to stop potential clashes of opponents of the ousted regime and supporters of the ousted regime. The fear of that kind of clash, for now, seems to have dissipated. But we've got to keep our eye on it to see what tactics the Muslim Brotherhood may use in the coming days to keep themselves relevant, Becky.
ANDERSON: All right, Karl. And we're just hearing that Egypt's top prosecutor has issued an order preventing Mohamed Morsy and other Brotherhood top figures from leaving the country. So that's news just coming in.
So, call it what you will, but it seems at least -- whether you call this a crackdown or not on the Brotherhood, there are certainly moves to quiet them and prevent their movements going forward at this time.
The new transitional government isn't in place yet, but certainly there is a new man at the top here who will take us through the days, months and weeks ahead. His name is Adly Mansour. Many people even here very unfamiliar with this man. And certainly the international community, I think, will be particularly unfamiliar with him.
He was sworn in today as Egypt's interim president very early in the morning. It was quite a shock, I think, to many people that this move happened as quickly as it did.
He was appointed to his most recent position: head of the country's high constitutional court just last month. And before that, Mansour was vice president of the court. He was appointed in 1992 by the former President Hosni Mubarak. But in his position installed as a judge, let me tell you, by the former president here Mohamed Morsy.
Let's get some analysis then and find out where we think we stand at present and where Egypt is headed next with my guest this evening.
We -- it's been a fast moving day. A lot of events. You know, a day in Egyptian politics these days feels like eons, doesn't it?
KHALED FAHMY, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO: It does, yes. And I was trying to remember what happened only three days ago. And it felt like ages ago. Things are developing very quickly.
But we've been through this before. We've been -- I've been in Tahrir on the 25th of January. I've been on this bridge on the 28th when...
ANDERSON: 2011.
FAHMY: 2011, two years ago. And back then also every day counted for a year.
And so I think Egyptians are getting used to this rhythm of politcal action and the intensity of it and the enthusiasm. And mostly I think what one of the most amazing things is that Egyptians are getting used to realizing that they are making history and that they are shaping their own history and their own destinies. And this is an amazing achievement.
ANDERSON: And you're talking about a constituency that you support, that being what was until 24 hours ago the opposition here.
I do want to cross examine you about what you think happens next for the Muslim Brotherhood, for the Freedom and Justice Party, which is their political wing. And how you believe this can be an inclusive political system going forward as I discussed earlier on with Mohamed El Baradei.
Do stay with me. As a historian, I want you to give us some political context for this as well. And let's go back to 1954 and a revolution some of our older viewers might still remember.
For the time being, thank you very much indeed.
Stay with me tonight.
You're watching a special edition of Connect of World live from Cairo. I'm Becky Anderson for you on the story. While the opposition celebrates, the Muslim Brotherhood warns Egypt has returned to, quote, a police state this hour. What's next for the Brotherhood after their stunning reversal of fortune and a cause for celebration for a dangerous military coup. We'll have the mixed response from Egypt's international neighbors. All that coming up after this. Do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, welcome back. We're in Cairo tonight for what is this special edition of Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson for you.
At this hour, Egypt's military is cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood after it ousted the president Mohamed Morsy. A Brotherhood spokesman says what began as a coup, and I quote him here now, "is turning into something much more."
Ivan Watson is on that story for you. And he joins us now -- Ivan.
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: that's right.
Well, the Muslim Brotherhood says they will not go softly into the night, Becky. They are still holding a very large rally that they've surrounded with barricades in Nasra City (ph) in the north of Cairo. And that is surrounded by what could be described as a ring of steel, of Egyptian troops and armored personnel carriers out in force around the Muslim Brotherhood protest sit-in.
Now the big question is where is the man who up until about 25 hours ago was the president of this country, the first democratically elected president. And I asked the Muslim Brotherhood spokesman that a few hours ago. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEHAD EL-HADDAD, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SPOKESMAN: Apparently, the military is still afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood, that's why they're trying to dismantle it now in hopes that if we actually show up to the next presidential election we might win it. I wonder how the world is going to see that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: I'm sorry, that's the wrong excerpt from the interview there. But that was the spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood accusing the military of trying to dismantle the Muslim Brotherhood with its crackdown, arresting a number of top officials and, according to this man, the deposed president himself.
Take a listen, we're going to try this again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: What is the situation right now of Mohamed Morsy himself. Do you know what where he is and what condition he's in? Have you spoken to him?
EL-HADDAD: We have not spoken with him. We have no direct line of communication with him, but there are sympathizers inside the military that are giving us pieces of information, primarily to other Muslim Brotherhood leaders that have relayed it to me and I've shared them on social media. As far as we know, he was detained at the presidential palace and then taken to the presidential guard -- Republican Guard headquarters. And then afterward, last night, closer to the (inaudible), about 5:00 am he was moved to the Ministry of Defense and separated from his presidential team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now, Becky, the Muslim Brotherhood insists that they will resist the ouster of Morsy anyway possible short of using violence. They will only fight, they say, if they are attacked. And one of the measures they seem to be prepared to take, they're calling for what they're describing as legitimacy marches around the country on Friday. We'll just have to see what happens then -- Becky.
ANDERSON: A Friday of rejection is what they're calling it. Ivan, thank you very much indeed for the time being.
All right, I want to get to another guest to discuss this. Our next guest has been a, and I quote, propaganda war against the Muslim Brotherhood. He says many liberal opposition activists are fundamentally undemocratic.
Let's bring in Mohamad El Masry, a professor -- another professor at the American University in Cairo for you this evening.
And those who don't support the Muslim Brotherhood say if they haven't so fundamentally miscalculated the past year, if they hadn't been so exclusive, so uninclusive of the rest of society, they might still be there.
So when you call the Brotherhood, or what has happened here fundamentally undemocratic, you're only talking from one side, aren't you. This is very polarized this argument here.
MOHAMAD EL MASRY, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO: I think it's an incontestable issue. If you look at the dialogue and discourse over the last year, I mentioned that, you know, this propaganda war. One of the -- probably the most important piece to this propaganda puzzle is this notion of the Brotherhoodization of the state, which you just referenced. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) in Arabic.
And what we've been hearing for the last 12 months is that the Brotherhood is taking the country over. They want to exclude everybody else. And many people have bought this hook, line, and sinker. And that's why a lot of people are on the streets.
What people don't know is that, first of all, the Brotherhood...
ANDERSON: Hang on a minute, we're talking about 20 million or more people signing petitions -- undemocratic -- hang on, the undemocratic moves against women here as much as anything else. I can list those -- go on.
EL MASRY: Are you going to let me finish my speech? OK, thank you.
The Brotherhoodization of the state is a myth. We know now, and people are now admitting from amongst the liberals that the Brotherhood never had anywhere near complete control of the interior ministry, which is complicit in the killing of Brotherhood members and the destruction of Brotherhood property.
How does the ruling party have over 30 of their offices burn down?
We know now that they clearly didn't have control over the army. They definitely don't have control over the judiciary. And in government -- if you add up the number of Brotherhood ministers and governors, they add up to 35 percent, that is hardly a very large number, especially for a government that was dealing with a sedition opposition.
ANDERSON: What about the attacks on the members of the Coptic Church here that Mohamed Morsy's did absolutely nothing about? What about the sort of calls to wage jihad in Syria? What about the fundamental sort of attacks on and against women? You -- I understand where you're coming from, I understand your argument, but you have to admit that there is a significant argument against what you are saying?
EL MASRY: Oh, I admit there's an argument. I think it's preposterous, however. And I can respond to -- if you want to give me, you know, half an hour, I could respond to every one of those points.
But this Brotherhood -- the other thing that's happened here is that for the last 12 months the opposition has systematically rejected participation in government. Mohamed Morsy offered the vice president position to Hamdi (inaudible). He turned it down. Ahmed Mehad (ph) was offered a high level position. He turned it down. Aymin Nour (ph) turned down the prime minister position on multiple occasions. And numerous others. I can go through a whole laundry list.
People did not want to work with the Brotherhood going back to last June. And then they complain that the Brotherhood has 35 percent of people in government. These statements that you're talking about about Christians. Look, there was an attack on a church committed by non-Muslim Brotherhood members. We don't even know if they were Islamists. There are fights in Egypt, just like there are in other societies. When that happened, President Morsy came out and he said, any attack on a church is an attack against me, OK.
So, this stuff gets blown out of proportion. We have rumor mongering media. And unfortunately, people have bought the propaganda, as I said, hook, line, and sinker.
The reality here is that a president in the first year -- a president in the first year of his first term in office was forcibly removed from power. This shows absolute disregard for the will of the people, which in democracies is measured by the ballot box. Anti-Morsy people have been saying, well, democracy is about more than the ballot box, and I agree with that, but they failed to mention that the ballot box is critically important, without it, the democratic house collapses.
You just had Mohamed El Baradei on the show. He told -- he told the New York Times today in an article that was covered in the New York Times -- and I'm quoting the New York Times now -- he had worked hard to convince western powers of what he called the necessity of forcing -- forcibly ousting President Mohamed Morsy.
In American law, that's considered sedition, and it would be a jail sentence. And we're crazy...
ANDERSON: Let me put this to you -- one question to you, because this isn't just a platform for you. Let me put one question to you, please, with respect, sir. A day of rejection Friday. What do you believe that means from the Brotherhood?
EL MASRY: Well, -- and this can be debated, by the way, this strategy. Some people would argue that they should just kind of accept this and go back and regroup. From their perspective, they don't want to accept it, because they believe it's unconstitutional -- which it is, there's not question about that and unjust. And so they're deciding to protest.
And one of the things that's going to happen -- we've already seen the crackdown. Five television networks were closed in 15 minutes. And journalists were arrests. Zero journalists were in jail during the Morsy 12 month period and zero television networks were shut down. And Morsy was cursed every day on TV -- and I'm a media professor, so I'm qualified to speak to this in some of the harshest propaganda that I've ever seen.
So the strategy of going back to the street, what they're saying is...
ANDERSON: I'm going to put your points to my other guest this evening. And let me put your points, because you're making some good ones, so let me put your points to our other guest who we have with us in the studio this evening. We thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Khaled Fahmy, you've just heard what I guess a colleague of yours from the American University making his point about the Muslim Brotherhood talking about a propaganda war against them saying there were no media outlets shut down here, there were no journalists put inside, eluding for the fact that pro-Morsy channels have been shut down. We're seeing signs of a crackdown on the Brotherhood as well.
You're not a supporter of the Broterhood, do you at least sympathize with the concerns that those who are supporters have this evening?
FAHMY: Very much so. Very much so. And I'm completely against it. And if the army thinks that they can get away easily with such a crackdown, then they have got a (inaudible). We are, as we speak my friends are preparing a statement. One of the human rights organizations is preparing a statement against the closure of these stations. We want to know exactly what the charges are. And we're going to make our voice very clear that we are against this.
ANDERSON: What about the chief prosecutor who we have learned just in the past hour deciding that there is no longer any access for travel, it seems, for Morsy and some of his colleagues? I mean, banning them from leaving the country. What does that say to you?
FAHMY: Again, this is an ominous development. Of course, one has to remember that that particular prosecutor-general had been sacked by the previous regime in an illegal way and this was one of the main contentious issues that have blocked the political scene and polarized things because the president would not budget at all on this except in the 11th hour.
So, again, we want to know what the charges are. I've been hearing from my friends that there are indeed illegal charge. There are incitement to murder. There's incitement to violence. There is money laundering. But we don't know. There is no clear -- and we want to be clear about this, we will not allow this new regime that has been sworn in today to get away with these acts.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Stay with me. We're going to take a very short break. We'll be back after this.
Live from Cairo, this is Connect the World. It's a special edition. I'm Becky Anderson.
Coming up, Egypt has a new interim leader. It's the first step in what the military says is their new political map. They are determined they are not involved in politics here? But are they?
Now the question is what happens next. Stay with us?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're with us in Cairo this evening for CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN.
The dramatic ouster of the former President Mohamed Morsy was greeted enthusiastically this Thursday morning on the Egyptian talk exchange in $22 billion plowed in to assets. That is a huge amount of money.
Joining me for more on that later is our guest here, but Max is with us with the headlines.
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, the top stories this hour, Egypt's military is rounding up Muslim Brotherhood leaders a day after deposed president Mohamed Morsy. The Brotherhood's supreme leader Mohammed Badie is among those arrested.
Morsy himself is under house arrest. State media say he has rejected an offer from the military to leave the country.
Morsy was replaced today by Egypt's top judge, Adly Mansour, who served as interim president until new elections. He has the power to issue constitutional declarations. But at his swearing in, Mr. Mansour said the people have given him the authority to amend and correct the revolution.
British Police say they've identified 38 people of interest in connection to the disappearance of Madeline McCann. McCann was the young girl who vanished six years ago during a family vacation in Portugal.
The health of -- the health of former South African president, Nelson Mandela, declined so sharply last week his family at the time was considering whether to take him off life support. That's according to a court documents released on Thursday. The document known as a Certificate of Urgency stated that Mandela, quote, "Has taken a turn for the worst and that the Mandela family have been advised by the medical practitioners that his life support machine should be switched off."
For more on this Nkepile Mabuse joins us live from the hospital in Pretoria where Mandela is getting treatment and the presidency is saying something different. Very unclear of how this story, Nkepile. But what do you manage to work out from this document?
NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a stunning revelation, Max, that has caused a lot of confusion and panic here in South Africa. The presidency has had to release a statement late tonight denying that Mr. Mandela is in a vegetative state because that is what some media here have been reporting.
Let me just give you a little bit of background on where we get this latest information in regard to Mr. Mandela's health. This was -- this information was contained in a document titled "Certificate of Urgency," which will form part of a legal battle in the Eastern Cape to do with the relocation of the graves belonging to Mr. Mandela's children.
And as part of this application an advocate representing Mr. Mandela's family stated that he is -- he's health has a taken for the worst, as you said, and that doctors have advised the family to switch off his life support machine and that the family was seriously considering this option. As I said causing much confusion here in South Africa and the presidency has had to correct some reports that Mr. Mandela is in a vegetative state. They say that Mr. Mandela is still critically ill in this hospital behind me and has a team of experts looking after him around the clock -- Max.
FOSTER: Nkepile, thank you very much indeed.
ANDERSON: You're back in Cairo with us now. The overthrow of Mohamed Morsy has sparked very different reactions, not just here in the country but in the region and around the world.
Let's start here. Ian Lee captured the mood outside the constitutional court this morning as the transitional leader was sworn in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're just outside of the Supreme Constitutional Court here in Cairo and just a while ago the new president of Egypt, Adley Mansour, was just sworn in. As you can see around me, security is tight. We have armor personnel carriers, soldiers, police officers, very tight security.
It was just a year ago that former president Mohamed Morsy was sworn in in this very building. And now the new president of Egypt was the head of this court but now he's charged with an interim government to turn around Egypt's economy and provide security. He's going to bring together a Cabinet which will be tasked with doing just that. But not everyone is happy with what's going on here today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I selected Mr. President Mohamed Morsy and his old receivers and old (INAUDIBLE) are again working in the election.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): Of course I'm very upset and I didn't sleep at all last night because I'm a Morsy supporter. He was going to fix the country. He came from the will of the people in free and fair elections. People chose him.
LEE: Former president Mohamed Morsy supporters say what happened yesterday was a coup, that they're democratically elected president was ousted in an illegitimate way. But there are many Egyptians who say what happened yesterday was a popular uprising and that the army facilitated the transfer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the will of the people, all the Egyptian wanted that. The army doesn't have anything to do with it. The army works for us. Works for the Egyptian people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): The armed forces prevented what would have been a huge catastrophe. And they didn't directly intervened because they're not interested in staying in power.
LEE: A swearing in ceremony is over and Egypt has a new president, Adley Mansour. Three things stuck out in his speech. The first, he honors the use of the revolution and encourage to keep up defending the revolution. The second thing was that he told people not to worship leaders but only worship god. That worshipping leaders can only lead tyranny. And the third thing he said, he was going to have a free and fair presidential election that truly represented the Egyptian people and honored the January 25th revolution.
Ian Lee, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, in the Middle East, the leaders have been lavishing praise on what has happened here in the Egyptian army and congratulating anti- Morsy protesters. But as Mohammed Jamjoom now reports from Beirut this isn't about celebrating power to the people. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With Mohamed Morsy's ouster was announced, Tahrir Square erupted in euphoria. Now that jubilation has spread beyond Egypt's borders, with many neighboring Arab countries celebrating. But for very different reasons.
Take Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. Usually quire reserved when it comes to matters of diplomacy. Today not sounding all that diplomatic. Congratulating the Egyptian military for its coup and effusive in his praise saying they'd "manage to save Egypt at this critical moment from a dark tunnel."
They weren't the only country taking delight in Morsy's fall. The United Arab Emirates decided to highlight how the Muslim Brotherhood, the political movement the propelled Morsy to office is banned in the Emirates, adding that, "The UAE is following with satisfaction developments of the situation in Egypt."
Bahrain and Jordan both offered similar responses which analysts say is in no way surprising.
PAUL SALEM, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: A lot of the Gulf monarchies are simply afraid of democratic change, elections, democratic reform. Their fear of the Muslim Brotherhood is twofold. One is the Muslim Brotherhood has proven the most effective in winning elections and mobilizing votes. Also the fact that Muslim Brotherhood, you know, has this marriage that, I say, between Islam and democracy is worrisome.
JAMJOOM: Salem says these monarchies are extremely worried about the emergence of a regional brotherhood network that would pose a direct threat to their rule. Even Qatar which had backed the Brotherhood in Egypt issued a statement saying it will remain supportive of the country.
Then there's Syria. In the throes of civil war. Embattled president Bashar al-Assad took the time to gloat. "From the beginning I said their project is a failure before it began," said al-Assad.
SALEM: The Syrian regime, I'm sure, is thrilled with this outcome because it sort of asserts state power against Islamists and as the Assad regime has painted the uprising in Syria exactly as that.
JAMJOOM: Now the question becomes what will other regional Islamist political movements do in the wake of Egypt. In Tunisia, where the Arab spring first took root, opposition to the Islamist Ennahda Party has been growing and where Tunisians once inspired Egyptians to take to the streets, now Egypt is inspiring Tunisia.
SALEM: Ennahda also faces very severe opposition and protests and demonstrations from a very effective civil society, sector opposition, women's movement, labor union and so on.
JAMJOOOM: Either way all eyes are still on Egypt. The festivities will no doubt die down as the concern only grows.
Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: What the regional reaction? Let's get a little wider and get some of that reaction from the U.S. because that is incredibly important. The U.S. has a big financial here. It's already pledged $1.3 billion in military aid, of course. And after the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak, U.S. President Obama pledged $1 billion to Egypt. In May of this year the U.S. has released a big chunk of that aid, $250 million, with promises of more if Morsy followed through on economic and political reform.
And it's important to state here that Washington keeping a really close eye on things here and careful not to call events in Egypt a coup. And there's a reason for that. That would mean by law that they have to cancel U.S. aid.
Fascinating time. Let's get to Washington where Jill Dougherty standing by with what I know is the very latest news from the U.S. government -- Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Right, Becky. The latest was coming out of both the White House and the State Department here. A list of the meetings and also the phone conversations that senior U.S. officials have been having both with Egyptians and with their partners around the world.
I'll just give you an example, Secretary Kerry, since I'm here at the State Department. Secretary Kerry on the phone just today, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr, Egyptian Constitution Party Preident El Baradei, and the foreign ministers of Norway, Israel, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Then other officials, secretary of defense was on the phone, national security adviser, so you get the picture.
Not to mention the fact that the president held a meeting with his National Security team in the situation room at the White House. Now what are they saying, what's the message, and also they're saying some key messages at this point that the administration wants. They want a -- quick and responsible return of full authority to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible, transparent political process that is inclusive of all parties and that includes the Muslim Brotherhood.
Avoiding any arbitrary arrests of Morsy supporters and President Morsy and that is becoming, as you have just been reporting, Becky, very significant. And finally the responsibility of all group to maintain -- to avoid violence.
So that's what they want. That's the wish list. Whether they will get it is the question and they are watching very closely is they don't get some of that then we are facing the possibility that the U.S. might say that it is pulling its aid to Egypt.
ANDERSON: Yes. All right. Listen, I heard somebody in the States today saying if it looks like a coup it is a coup, and the problem for the -- for the U.S. administration is not just -- it's a question of semantics here, isn't it? Because it would be illegal to offer that aid if indeed they believe that the word C-O-U-P was involved in what's going on here.
So how have they answered what I know have been -- repeated requests by reporters, that question, that very question? Is it coming here or not?
DOUGHERTY: Well, they -- number one it is -- it's actually not just semantics. It's really legal. And you're right, that it would trigger controlling -- perhaps ending aid or cutting back at least. But there are ways that they can, number one, even by law look at it and evaluate and there may be some loopholes. But that said, what they're making very clear is they have it out there on the table. The issue of aid, and what they're saying is, as they watch this, if the military do not go in the direction that they are hoping which is to a very quick restoration of democracy then they can take other steps.
Now are criticizing them and saying, you shouldn't even wait. This was a coup. You are to take those steps. They're not willing to do that at this point. But they are watching it very closely.
ANDERSON: Live from Cairo, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Jill Dougherty in Washington, we thank you very much indeed for that.
And as Jill pointed out, absolutely fascinating to see that list of requirements when the chief prosecutor tonight has said that they won't be letting Morsy and some of his supporters lead the country.
Coming up, I'll ask Mohamed El Baradei what is next for Egypt. Where it is headed?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. Mohamed El Baradei is emerging as a top political contender, at least a stakeholder in politics going forward here as Egypt enters what is this transitional period. Have a listen to the second part of my interview with him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You talk about reconciliation here. I also know that you're in the position to get the international community involved in helping out what is top of the inbox here which is the economy. What needs to happen next?
MOHAMED EL BARADEI, EGYPTIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I think now we have to make sure -- I hope that we will fix our agreement with the IMF. I think this is a real priority. I was told that the Gulf is now ready, you know, once we get that, ready to pump in money and we need a lot of money. We need I think like $35 billion. To -- as a bridge for this year until we get that security in order, until we get the economy jumpstarted, and there we get direct foreign investment.
But we need this money if particularly if it goes where the IMF need to make sure that we have money to deal with the social ramification, that the poor will not be sort of hurt by any austerity measure.
But I am -- you know, if you get -- it has a lot talents and, you know, a lot of goodwill and I started to get a lot of goodwill from everyone in the world. From the U.S., from Europe, from the Gulf. So we can do it. Just the question now we need to work together as a team and move forward.
ANDERSON: Saudi Arabia has welcomed this transition. And Qatar who are big supporters of the Morsy government, are they still welcome at the party?
EL BARADEI: Absolutely. And I think -- I -- if I'm not mistaken they made a welcome statement today basically saying they are going to work with whatever government is in Egypt and I have no doubt that they will continue to support the Saudi, the Gulf, the European, everybody. I mean, we cannot afford Egypt to fail. Nobody can afford Egypt to fail.
ANDERSON: There is no doubt that those who oppose the Morsy government and have a sense of hope now for Egypt, I'm sure you do, too. What are your fears going forward?
EL BARADEI: My fear is that we do not deliver, my fear that the Brotherhood will feel that they are excluded so we need a quick delivery and that I come back to our friends everywhere. We need -- we need the cash. Put the money where your mouth is. You know, because we need to show the people that we are really focusing on their basic needs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Mohamed El Baradei speaking to me just before this show.
Well, coming up after this short break, I'm with my guest here in the studio, Khaled Fahmy. What's the top job in the interim so far as he is concerned? That's a question we will discuss right after this. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Right. You're back with us. I promised it would be a short break and it was.
Khaled Fahmy is with me from the American University.
And before we talk about where things go next, just set this in context for me. 1954. There was a revolution here ran by a young military man called Nasser. He is still considered by many in Egypt to be a hero. How would you draw analysis from what's happened over the past 24 hours?
KHALED FAHMY, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO: There are some similarities. Back then the military did confront the Muslim Brotherhood. There was an attempt on Nasser's life in '54. And Nasser used this as a pretext to go after the Muslim Brotherhood and he cracked down on them and he arrested thousands and thousands of their 30,000 members in -- according to one estimate. And closed down the organization and send them to prison and to torture.
The military was firmly in charged. The president was a military man. The Cabinet was the military. And I don't think that's what we're seeing now.
ANDERSON: No. We haven't seen it yet, have we? I mean, and -- the military is very quick to point today. You've got a judge, a younger military man and there's a transitional president. There is a risk of things don't get to talked over the next (INAUDIBLE). I mean, we don't know how long this sort of transitional term is going to be. Where -- what do you think?
FAHMY: My -- the guarantee is the people. The guarantee is that we had something like 12 to 15 million people marching down the streets. Last year the military was in charge. We ousted them. We sent them back to their barracks. The military has been stung by that experience last year. They don't want to be at the deep seat.
ANDERSON: Don't tell me, though, that the deep seat doesn't have a massive influence here, we think. Mubarak security regime effectively without the two top heads who were who've been let go since the Mubarak regime. And we're also seeing an element I know of the Mubarak regime exploiting this political situation for their own base.
FAHMY: Definitely. Definitely. There is the -- the deep seat state is deep and it's very difficult to block it out. It will take us years and years. And the good thing is that we're doing it with a relatively low- level of violence. The reason why the military interfered that this was the scariest moment at our recent history. I was very, very scared --
ANDERSON: Of what? Becoming an Islamic republic of Pakistan or Iraq?
FAHMY: No, no, no. No, no, no. I was afraid of a civil war. I was afraid of these two very large crowds that are so antagonistic with each other. The police have all but collapsed. They don't want to interfere and the army has to interfere because otherwise if we'd really have been so much weapons lying around, the economy has collapsed, and these two crowds are in very close proximity to each other, and this is not only in Cairo. It's all over the country.
ANDERSON: Yes. When we talk about close proximity here, let me just tell you, I mean, we're talking about a bridge across the River Nile. Anybody who's been here will know that that is not a big bridge or even crowds who could be meeting each other in Tahrir Square below me, you see of course the center for giant rallies for the opposition but as you suggest, I mean, you know, these people who live side by side in general life.
Were you really frightened about a civil war?
FAHMY: I was. I was. I mean the tension was so high. The political situation is so (INAUDIBLE). The government is inept. And the government is acting in a very irresponsible way.
ANDERSON: So what's the future?
FAHMY: The future is turmoil for a while. I have confidence in the people. I have confidence in we trying out and experimenting, it's trial and error, this is uncharted territory. And it's happening all over the world. It's not only in Egypt so this is an amazing moment for people power.
It is difficult. We have got rid of one president. We got rid of another president. We will make sure that the coming president will have to abide by our rules, our -- it's our game now, it's our country.
ANDERSON: Then forget the ballot box, is that what you're telling me?
FAHMY: No. We're saying that the ballot box is not for everything. It is not the ballot boxes who were after. We're after the democracy, and democracy does not only include elections.
ANDERSON: Fascinating stuff. A pleasure to have you on the show. Thank you very much.
FAHMY: Thank you for having me.
ANDERSON: Indeed for joining us.
Tumultuous times, as I say, a day is a long time in politics here. It used to be a week, didn't it? Well, today in politics here an awfully long time. What tomorrow brings well, that is unchartered waters. The Muslim Brotherhood calling for a Friday of rejection. The crowd here still jubilant. They are supportive of this transitional regime.
Do stay with us on CNN as we continue to cover what is still an unfolding situation in Egypt. For me, so far this evening is a very good evening.
CNN continues.
END
