Mursi Insists He Will Not Step down, Army Vows to Sacrifice for Egypt

Local Editor

Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi and the country’s powerful army were at odds early on Wednesday, with the embattled leader was insisting he would not step down and the army pledging to sacrifice for Egypt.

In a televised address on Tuesday evening, Mursi said he had been freely elected to lead the country more than a year ago and intended to stick to his task.
The only alternative to respecting the constitutional legitimacy of the office was further bloodshed on the streets, he warned.

He said respect for the constitutional order was the “only guarantee against further bloodshed”.
“The people chose me in free and fair elections”, and he would “continue to shoulder his responsibilities” as Egypt struggles with the legacy of decades of authoritarian rule.

Once again, he accused supporters of the ousted Mubarak of trying to sow chaos and incite violence.
The president renewed his appeal to the opposition to join a dialogue, an appeal already repeatedly rejected as a sham.

Mursi’s speech came as the clock ticked down to a Wednesday deadline set by the army for the president to meet the “people’s demands” or have a solution imposed on him.

While he made no direct reference to the ultimatum in his speech, a message posted on his official Twitter account called on the army to back off.
“President Mursi insists on (his) constitutional legitimacy and rejects any attempt to overstep it”, the message said.

“(He) calls on the armed forces to withdraw their warning and rejects any dictates, domestic or foreign”.

Army, Opposition Response
Mursi’s speech elicited a fresh warning from the military. A post on the official Facebook page of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said: “We swear to God that we will sacrifice even our blood for Egypt and its people, to defend them against any terrorist, radical or fool”.

The message, reported by Reuters, was issued three hours after Mursi’s televised speech.

The Supreme Council is headed by defense minister General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who on Monday issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the government to reach a compromise or else it will impose its own road map.

The main opposition June 30 Front coalition said it was ready to join urgent talks on the negotiated transition called for by the army.

The Front, which includes the grassroots Tamarod movement, named former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei as its chief negotiator.