“We are sure our army and Gen. el-Sissi are going to continue to represent the heritage” of the Egyptian Army, “which aspires only to help people, not just a regime or dictator,” Ghany said.

Ghany suggested that the military, which many believe is Egypt’s last remaining power broker, lead talks between Morsi’s opponents and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist society through which Morsi rose to prominence.

“I think what we need is to see is a neutral stand from our army to promote political talks because the division is now between the revolution camp and the camp of the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies, which have abandoned our revolution goals,” Ghany said. “We will fulfill our revolution goals and honor our martyrs.”

Morsi for his part went ahead Tuesday with a prearranged trip to Germany, choosing not to remain behind to address the latest crisis.

Early Wednesday, however, his office issued a statement defending the declaration of emergency law in the three provinces. The statement cited both the Egyptian constitution and an international treaty as supporting the declaration.

The statement also said that while the Egyptian military had been granted the authority to arrest civilians, no one arrested would be tried in a military court – a sore point under the previous military government, when hundreds of civilians were referred to military courts for participating in protests.

El-Sissi, 58, is a relatively unknown quantity here in a powerful but secretive army. Appointed by Morsi in August to replace his longstanding predecessor, Mohammed Tantawi, el-Sissi is considered the face of a younger generation of military commanders, not as beholden to military practices under Mubarak.

His deputy, Gen. Mohamed el Assar, now leads the military’s relations with the United States.

The Egyptian military not only leads defense matters but controls a business empire of its own. During Mubarak’s rule, it was seen as a powerful behind-the-scenes player in the government. The military’s longtime autonomy has been preserved under Morsi, who is the first Egyptian president to have never served in the military. Under the new constitution, approved in December, the Parliament cannot review its budget, and the military holds its own trials.

For decades, the Egyptian military was regarded as the nation’s pride, one of the few places where a poor Egyptian man could rise to the nation’s highest ranks, as did every president before Morsi.

But its 18-month tenure as the governing authority between Mubarak’s and Morsi’s presidencies tarnished its image and its place in Egyptian hearts and minds. But in the face of any alternative, it is still considered the ultimate broker over state matters.

RAW VIDEO: Street Clashes in Egypt as Deadly Unrest Continues