Egyptian Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is emerging as Egypt's strongman amid the turmoil sweeping the country, is desperate to end the crisis but without a return to the unpopular military rule of 2011-12, experts say.

Politicians and journalists who have met Sisi believe his main preoccupation is rebuilding the army's reputation, tarnished by its time in control of the country with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

At 58, Sisi is 20 years younger than his predecessor, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, a veteran of the Arab-Israeli wars and one of Mubarak's closest allies.

When Morsi sidelined Tantawi in August and replaced him with Sisi, there was speculation of a possible alliance between the military and the new Islamist leaders, to which the army had previously been hostile.

Even if he is part of an Islamist-dominated government, General Sisi, who enjoyed a successful career in the top brass before taking up the prestigious post of head of military intelligence, seemed to be a military insider.

Sisi is also a fervent admirer of the former nationalist president Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Born in Cairo in November 1954, he graduated from Egypt's military academy in 1977 with a diploma in military sciences. He also went on for training in the United Kingdom in 1992 and in the United States in 2006.

Egypt's army has close ties to the US military, which provides it with considerable training and equipment.

Since the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement in 1979, Washington has been a major backer of Egypt's army, currently providing support to the tune of $1.3 billion every year.

AFP

(China Daily 07/04/2013 page11)