Mubarak’s sentence signifies U.S., Israel’s influence in Egypt: Iranian general

SHIRAZ, June 5(MNA) – Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, the Supreme Leader’s top advisor, said on Sunday that the life sentence pronounced on former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is indicative of the fact that the United States and the Zionist regime still have influence in Egypt. Mubarak, who was toppled last year after 30 years in power, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Saturday for his role in killing Egyptian protesters. Although the U.S. and the Zionists still have influence in the country, the Egyptians will “manifest their decision” in the runoff presidential election, Safavi, the former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, said in a ceremony marking the 23rd anniversary of the demise of Imam Khomeini in the city of Shiraz. The first round of the Egyptian presidential election was held on May 23 and 24. Mohamed Morsi, the chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, and Ahmed Shafiq, who formerly served as Egypt’s prime minister, received the most votes and will contest a run-off election on June 16 and 17. Safavi said that the first characteristic of the Islamic Awakening movement in a society is that people from all walks of life are included in the movement, adding that the Egyptian people from all walks of life chanted slogans against Mubarak in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, and the popular uprising was inspired by the Iranian Islamic Revolution.