Egypt's Morsi Meets With Military as Deadline Looms

July 02, 2013

by VOA News

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is meeting with the nation's top military official as opposition groups calling for the president's resignation gather again in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

A Twitter account for the office of the Egyptian president [@EgyPresidency] posted a photo of Tuesday's meeting online.

The military is giving Morsi until Wednesday to settle differences with opposition protesters, saying that if he fails it will lay out its own political roadmap for the country. But the Egyptian president has already rejected the deadline.

Tensions mounted Tuesday as the Middle East News Agency, MENA, reported that Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr has submitted his resignation.

And in another development, opposition parties and the youth movement behind the demonstrations agreed that reform leader and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei would represent them in any negotiations on the country's political future.

On Tuesday, Essam el-Erian with Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood criticized the army's approach.

"There are mistakes in the latest army statement. They wanted to calm the situation and prevent dangerous events, so it was correct in certain areas, but made a very large mistake in its statement when it failed to mention the word 'constitution' or 'law' in its law, giving the impression that the army is above the constitution and the law, but the Egyptian army continued to vote on the articles of the constitution one by one throughout the night,'' he said.

Supporters of Morsi have been camping out near a mosque in central Cairo, promising to resist what they decry as a possible military coup.

"It's, it's really important that the government and opposition get together and discuss how they can move forward. Egypt's democracy is obviously very fragile and nobody wants to see it collapse or fall apart in some way.''

U.S. President Barack Obama telephoned Morsi on Monday, urging him to show he is responsive to the concerns of opposition protesters. He also urged opposition leaders to work for change through Egypt's democratic processes.

Violence has broken out in some areas, leaving at least 16 people dead during the past week.

Morsi's office has said he will stick to his plan for national reconciliation, regardless of "statements that deepen divisions between citizens."

Opposition leaders have given Morsi their own deadline - until 5 p.m. Cairo time on Tuesday - to step down.

Several Cabinet ministers and government spokesmen have submitted their resignations as pressure grows on the president.

Millions of people took to Egypt's streets on Sunday in the largest anti-government demonstrations since the 2011 revolution that swept former President Hosni Mubarak from power.

In Geneva Tuesday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Rupert Colville, warned Egypt's democracy could be at a tipping point.