Morsi refuses to step down

EGYPT: President Mohamed Morsi vowed he would not quit despite mass protests demanding his resignation and an army ultimatum as fresh deadly violence rocked capital Cairo.

In a televised address on Tuesday evening, the embattled Islamist leader said he had been freely elected to lead the troubled nation little 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.

Just hours after his speech, the health ministry reported that unidentified gunman had killed 16 people and wounded about 200 more after opening fire on a rally of his supporters in Cairo.

Morsi'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 Morsi 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.” After Morsi's speech, the opposition Tamarod movement, which on Sunday mobilised millions of demonstrators for what the military described as the biggest protests in Egyptian history, accused Morsi of “threatening his own people”.

Morsi and Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi were locked in talks on Tuesday to “discuss the current crisis,” a military source said.

The army's ultimatum Monday drew a rapturous welcome from opponents of the president but his supporters accused the generals of preparing a return to the unpopular military rule of the months between the overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak and Morsi's swearing-in last year.

In his speech, Morsi 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.

AFP