News / Brèves Back to previous selection / Retour à la sélection précédente USA: General Martin Dempsey interviewed on U.S. Policy on Egypt 5 July 2013 (CNN)—July 4, 2013 — Joint Chiefs of Staff Head Gen. Martin Dempsey gave an interview yesterday to CNN’s Candy Crowley, which will be aired in full on Sunday July 7 at 9 a.m. and 12 noon EDT on CNN’s "State of the Union" TV show. CNN made a short, 4-minute video segment available today, in which Gen. Dempsey states that the Armed Forces acted to fulfill their duty to preserve stability in Egypt; that their action was not a military coup d’etat, and that it is for Egypt to decide what government it wants. Crowley: Let me talk to you about some breaking news we have today: Egypt. When you look at what is going on in the streets of Egypt, and has been for the past several days, what is the U.S. stake in that? Dempsey: Well, at one level, our stake is we probably have 60,000 or so dual-level American-Egyptian citizens in Egypt, and we probably have several hundred official American citizens serving in Egypt, and our immediate stake in urging all sides to deal with this peacefully is the immediate protection of our American citizens. But, more broadly, look — Egypt is a great country. It’s a cornerstone of the Mideast. It’s got an incredible history and culture. The world needs Egypt to be stable. So, there’s the immediate challenge we have, of ensuring the safety of our citizens. Second, we want, of course, all of Egypt’s citizens to be able to resolve this peacefully, without violence. And third, we need Egypt to be a positive influence in the Middle East, and not a negative influence. C: Do the demonstrations — you have both pro- and anti- — concern you for the stability of the region, and for the safety of those Americans who are still there? D: Well, the demonstrations themselves are actually quite remarkable, when they remain peaceful. The number of people who turn out, is just, well, absolutely remarkable. C: But, they don’t want their government in anymore. D: Well, you know, again, that’s for them to decide. And I really mean that sincerely. And, incidentially, as a student of that part of the world, and as someone who has lived there for most of the last 10 years — not in Egypt, but in the region, I mean, what we’re seeing is that democracy takes awhile to stick. C: And it does, because Morsi was elected. D: He was elected. C: Just a year ago. Which is a short time. D: Right. C: I know that you have kept — because they were very important for the transition from Hosni Mubarak to elections, military-to-military contacts. D: Right. C: Are those contacts still stable? Strong? Do you feel, when you see them on TV, saying something like, `Hey, President Morsi, you’ve either got to do something to meet some of these demands, or we’re going to take over,’ are you, knowing these people, are you in-the-know on that sort of thing? What is the nature of your conversation? D: Well, to your question about the nature of the relationship to the Egyptian Armed Forces, it was actually trending even more strongly than it had been for the past 10 years. Because we committed to that. To try to help them to find their way in a new system. The Armed Forces ran the country for several decades. And they were transitioning themselves into their role in a democracy. I’m not in-the-know about exactly what they are going to do. My conversations with them have been principally about — I wanted to get their assurance that they would protect our U.S. citizens, and they will. I wanted to encourage them to protect all (emphasis in original) the Egyptian people, and not to take sides on any particular issue, and they will. And to ensure that they are a part of the resolution of this, but in their proper role as a military, which is to ensure stability, but not try to influence the outcome. C: And you feel confident with the assurances you have? D: Well, I feel confident that we have a close enough relationship that they listen. You know, at the end of the day, it’s their country, and they will find their way, but there will be consequences if it is badly handled. I mean, there are laws which bind us, in how we deal with these kinds of situations. C: And, you mean the U.S.? How the U.S. deals— for instance? D: Yes, yes. Well, for instance, if this were to be seen as a coup, then it would limit our ability to have the kind of relationship we think we need to have with the Egyptian Armed Forces. C: I see.