Egypt minister says army could act to protect nation

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army could step in to protect national security if "adventurers" try to take power, the foreign minister said Wednesday, in an apparent reference to protesters seeking an overhaul of the ruling system.

The army was ordered onto the streets on January 28 when the police lost control of the streets to protesters demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down. With protests in a third week, the army's role could prove critical for Egypt's future.

"We must preserve the constitution even if it is amended, because that will protect the country from an attempt by some adventurers to take power and supervise the transition process," Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.

"We would find the armed forces forced to defend the constitution and Egyptian national security ... and we would find ourselves in an extremely serious situation." he said.

His comments were made in an interview given to Al Arabiya television and carried by the state news agency MENA.

Facing huge protests since January 25, Mubarak has said he will not seek re-election in September after 30 years in power and he has authorized his new vice president, Omar Suleiman, to begin talks with opposition groups on political reform.

The reforms would include amending the constitution to ease rules on who can run for president, limit the number of terms a president can seek and other constitutional changes.

Protesters have occupied Tahrir Square in central Cairo saying the concessions are not enough and that Mubarak must resign immediately. Suleiman says Mubarak will not step down before September and is needed to oversee a transition.

The army, which had taken a largely neutral role unlike police who clashed violently with protesters, has said it will protect demonstrators but has asked them to stand down to "save Egypt."

(Writing by Andrew Hammond, Editing by Edmund Blair)