Egypt Army Chief Seeks Immunity for Military

General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made the comments in an interview that was recorded a few weeks ago, but was never made public.

"You need this military institution to be given immunity, it is not an immunity for Abdel Fatah [referring to himself] …. It is for the [military] institution, which is the backbone of the state in light of the current circumstances. The constitution should consider that during this transitional period,'' Sisi said in the audio that is now in the possession of Al Jazeera.

The military deposed the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, the country’s first democratically elected president, on July 3 and suspended the constitution.

In the second audio, Sisi is heard saying, ''The [military] institution should have immunity because it has a role… that will be extended for at least 15 years during the coming period, be not withstanding who is going to be in power, whether he belongs to the Islamist, liberal or secular trend.”

"For someone to come and control this [military] institution completely, he could destroy it without noticing and without any intention,'' Sisi said in the audio interview that Rasd says was given to the editor-in-chief of independent daily newspaper, Al-Masry al-Youm.

The military installed a technocrat government immediately after Mursi’s removal amid widespread public approval, but the interim government has played second fiddle to the army.

The 50-member constitution-writing committee, which has no representation from the Muslim Brotherhood that dominated the previous parliament, is still debating the military's powers.