Opposition rejects President\'s speech, calls for mass demo

Morsi\'s offer of dialogue to resolve the crisis was rejected by opponents Cairo – Akram Ali Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi announced Thursday evening in a televised speech that he will relinquish Article 6 of the constitutional declaration he issued on November 21 and has called for a national dialogue with the opposition. Morsi said: \"I call for a full, productive dialogue with all figures and heads of parties, revolutionary youth and senior legal figures to meet this Saturday.\"
In his speech, Morsi explained that his constitutional decree - which gives him all powers and caused the clashes - could be modified following discussions with the opposition. He added that the decree would be cancelled after a referendum on the constitution next week. If the Egyptian people say \'No\' to the constitution, a new constituent assembly will be formed to draft a new one, the Egyptian President said.
Morsi then expressed his sorrow over the deaths stating: \"Such painful events happened because of political differences that should be resolved through dialogue. We respect peaceful freedom of speech but will never allow anyone to take part in killings and sabotage. I feel a responsibility for every Egyptian, whether they oppose or support me. The nation is united and all citizens enjoy the right to security. These painful events happened due to political differences and the only solution is dialogue. The ex-regime used thugs and rigged elections, such methods will never be used in Egypt ever again.”
Meanwhile protesters have announced their rejection of Morsi’s speech as 20 political movements and parties have called on the Egyptian public to organise a mass peaceful march on Friday, setting off from Tahrir Square as well as the mosques and squares of Cairo and Giza, converging outside the Ittihadiya Presidential Palace.
The marches - which will be accompanied by mass demonstrations in main city squares across the country - are anticipated to be held under the motto of “Egyptian blood is a red line. Legitimacy is derived from the people and victory will favour the revolution regardless of attempts to abort and terrorise it.”
A calm atmosphere surrounded Ittihadiya Presidential Palace in the west Cairo district of Masr el-Gedida Thursday at noon after the Republican Guard had ordered a ban on demonstrations outside the palace. The guards added more barbed wire barricades around the Ittihadiya perimeter after a day of violent clashes between supporters of President Mohammed Morsi and protesters – which left six dead with 648 injured.
As Egypt’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced its commitment to hold the constitutional referendum for expats starting Saturday and until Tuesday, around 200 Egyptian diplomatic and consular staff members have announced their refusal to oversee the procedures saying the draft constitution had “caused bloodshed.”
Initial inspection of the scene of the clashes by a team from the public prosecution revealed the presence of casings belonging to automatic rounds and birdshot slugs as well as flares and petrol bombs. A number of police vehicles as well as others owned by residents in the area were smashed and a traffic-monitoring station was trashed.
The Commander of the Republican Guard Major General Staff Officer Mohammed Zaki said early on Thursday that the objective behind his troops’ presence around the perimeter of the Presidential Palace was to separate the two sides involved in the clashes and prevent further injuries.
“The armed forces, and especially the Republican Guard,” the commander said, “will not be an instrument of repression.”Urging calm, the security official said his forces were “an essential part of the Egyptian people,” adding that he himself cares a great deal “for the welfare of every Egyptian citizen.”
The chairman of Egyptian television’s Specialised Channels sector, Ali Aburrahman has also announced his resignation in protests against state television’s coverage of the events and the way in which the country has been run in recent months. This is the second resignation to hit the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) after the chairman of the television sector also quit Thursday morning.
The Society of the Muslim Brotherhood has also released a statement in which the Islamist organisation said it counted \"five of its members as martyrs\" killed by what they described as “the hand of treachery, thugs and terrorism.”
The statement also described a “tightly-plotted conspiracy against legitimacy and popular will” aimed at “extinguishing the revolution and its objectives” by attempting to break into the Ittihadiya Presidential Palace, which the statement said was “a symbol of the state and its authority.”
They are now, according to the statement, under investigation by state prosecutors.
President Morsi held a meeting with high-ranking cabinet, military and intelligence officials. The meeting, presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali wrote on his official Facebook page, came “within the framework of a series of meetings held by the President to track developments on the political and security arenas in light of recent unfortunate events.”
“The meeting discussed various methods of handling the current situation on the political, security and legal fronts in order to bring Egypt to a state of stability and preserve the acquisitions of the revolution,” Ali added.
The Freedom and Justice Party media consultant Murad Mohammed Ali said in an on-air telephone call with Egyptian state television that 73 “thugs” had been arrested around the Ittihadiya perimeter.
“The conflict,” he said, “has become a political one and the criminals of the old regime are exploiting the situation for their own interests.” Ali added “we will not let Egypt fall into the hands of thugs and the former regime” and demanded that the suspects be immediately investigated.
In a message to its staff published on its official Facebook page, Egypt’s Ministry of the Interior expressed its trust in its rank and file, saying it was confident they were sparing no efforts in protecting citizens and securing property.
“The ministry and its men,” the message said, “are committed to their mission and their duty with impartiality and fairness” adding that the Egyptian people “across the spectrum” are “observing and recording” the performance of ministry staff. The minister added that he “hopes the record will do policemen justice.”
A recent report by the ministry on the events of Wednesday said 35 members of the police force were injured and public as well as private properties damaged, including nine police vehicles, three of which were fire engines.