Panetta reaches out to Egypt's military leaders

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reached out to the head of Egypt's ruling military council days after the group dissolved the country's Parliament, casting further doubt on the stability of Egypt's burgeoning democracy.

During his conversation with Mohamed Hussein Field Marshal Tantawi, Panetta "highlighted the need to move forward expeditiously with Egypt's political transition," according to a Defense Department statement issued late Friday.

Tantawi, who heads Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), told Panetta the council remained committed to its plan to hand power over to the country's democratically-elected president on July 1.

Panetta and Tantawi also agreed to pursue additional efforts to strengthen military ties between Washington and Cairo.

However, Panetta emphasized the only way that a security relationship can develop between the U.S. and Egypt is "to ensure a full and peaceful transition to democracy," according to the DOD statement.

Egyptians are heading to the polls on Saturday for the first free presidential election since former leader Hosni Mubarak was forced from office during the Arab Spring revolution.

Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi and Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq are the top two candidates vying for the presidency.

But the decision to do away with the lower house of Egypt's Parliament has drawn serious concerns from U.S. lawmakers over the country's future.

"The recent decision by the Egyptian court obviously throws into question the future of the transition,” Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement issued Friday.

“Parliament has been dissolved and the military has reaffirmed martial law and has assumed whatever authority the parliament had," the Vermont Democrat added.

However, Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) downplayed worries that the dissolution of parliament is a clear sign Egypt's military rulers are planning to hold power long after Saturday's elections.

“I know that there's skepticism, but one of the things I have said is I don't believe there's anybody who's in complete control of this country," Dreier told The Hill.

"I don't believe the SCAF are in complete control and I think that they're enthused about turning over power as soon as possible," he added.

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