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Egypt Braces for Army Move as Deadline Passes

July 03, 2013

by VOA News

Egyptians are waiting to see what action the military will take, after the expiration of an army ultimatum for President Mohamed Morsi to find a political solution to days of growing unrest by opponents who want him to resign.

Local media reports said that the military had banned Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood leadership from leaving the country.

In a statement issued just before the deadline, Morsi proposed a consensus government as a way out of the crisis. But he also repeated he has no intention to step down, warning that his electoral legitimacy is the only safeguard against violence and instability.

The army said it would impose a "roadmap" for Egypt's future if differences between the elected Islamist president and his opponents were not resolved by 5:00 p.m. local time (1500 UTC) Wednesday.

Egypt's interior ministry warned earlier in the day that police would respond firmly to any violence after a week of bloodshed that has now killed almost 40 people, including 18 during overnight clashes near Cairo University.

Security officials said troops with armored vehicles had secured Egyptian state television studios in central Cairo.

Amy meets ElBaradei

In the hours before the deadline, army commander Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with pro-reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei, the country's top Muslim and Coptic Christian leaders and some smaller, Islamist parties to discuss the way forward for Egypt.

The ruling Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, refused the invitation to meet al-Sisi, saying it only recognized elected President Morsi.

Increasing the pressure on Morsi, Egypt's top judicial body confirmed the reinstatement of public prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmud, who was fired by the president last year.

Meanwhile, Egyptians continue to demonstrate in cities across the country, with many backing their Islamist president but more demanding he resign and calling for early elections.

Morsi vows to stay

In a speech Tuesday night, President Morsi defended his legitimacy and vowed to remain in office, even if it resulted in his death. He also demanded the military withdraw its threat to intervene in the country's political crisis.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood angrily dismissed the army ultimatum as an attempt to stage a military coup. Its spokesman, Gehad El-Haddad, told VOA the group will not take up arms and go after the military. But he said it will directly interfere in any attempt to force Morsi to leave.

"If the tanks roll up to the president, we're going to stand in their way," he warned. "And then the tanks have one of two choices: they roll over us and our dead bodies, or they stand still and respect the legitimacy of our president. There is no third option here."

But the spokesman of Egypt's opposition Tamarud Movement said Morsi's time is up.

Parts of the military's plan leaked to Egypt's state-run news agency and other media indicate that military officials are prepared to suspend the constitution, dissolve the legislature and set up an interim administration.

The army has said it is not interested in long-term political power. But that assurance was rejected by Haddad and other Muslim Brotherhood members, many of whom are suspicious of the military's backing of decades of harsh, authoritarian rule.