Showdown? Egypt's Morsy defies military 'ultimatum'
From Hamdi Alkhshali. Reza Sayah and Chelsea J. Carter, CNN
July 2, 2013 -- Updated 1620 GMT (0020 HKT)
Cairo (CNN) -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy refused Tuesday to bow to a military ultimatum that he find a solution to the unrest sweeping the country or be pushed aside, setting the stage for a possible showdown.
Morsy declared he was elected president in balloting that was free and representative of the will of the people.
"The people of Egypt gave me the mandate for president. They chose me in a free election. The people created a constitution which requires me to stay with the constitution," he said in a televised speech. "I have no choice but to bear responsibility for the Egyptian constitution."
The speech came as the clock ticked on the military's plan to suspend the country's constitution, dissolve the Islamist-led parliament and sideline the president, if Morsy does not strike a deal with the opposition to end the unrest, military sources told Arab media and Reuters.
Morsy's defiance sets the stage for a potentially violent showdown, pitting Morsy's supporters -- the Muslim Brotherhood -- against an opposition angered by what they say is the president's failure to take steps to improve conditions more than two years after a popular revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak.
Morsy gave no indication of stepping down, sharing power or calling early elections, saying he was calling on the military to withdraw its ultimatum and return to its rightful work.
In Morsy's place, the military has said it would install an interim council, made up mainly of civilians, until a new constitution can be drafted and a new president elected, the sources said.
It was unclear what steps the military would take given Morsy's refusal to meet its Wednesday evening deadline. The military has previously stopped short of saying that it was suggesting a coup.
The ultimatum was meant to push all factions toward a national consensus; the armed forces aren't looking to be part of the political or ruling circles, a spokesman, Col. Ahmed Ali, said Monday in a written statement.
While insisting they want no direct role in national politics, the military leaders appeared to be pressuring Morsy to restructure his government.
The steps could include reducing the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in his Cabinet and calling early presidential and parliamentary elections, a source close to highly placed members of Egypt's leadership told CNN.
Violent clashes
The news came as reports surfaced of clashes between anti-Morsy protesters and Morsy's supporters in Cairo where anti-government demonstrators took to the streets for the third consecutive day calling for the country's first democratically elected president to step down.
At least seven people were killed and dozens more wounded in clashes late Tuesday at Cairo University, said Dr. Yehya Moussa, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health. Most of those killed died from gunshot wounds, he said.
Conflicting casualty reports during the day and into the evening put the death toll across Egypt anywhere from two to seven people killed and 144 wounded, according to Arab media and sources. CNN could not confirm the casualty counts.
The growing unrest prompted U.S. President Barack Obama's administration to urge Morsy to call early elections, while warning the Egyptian military that it risked losing U.S. aid if it carried out a coup, senior administration officials told CNN.
Opinion: Egyptians are fed up with Morsy
On Facebook, Morsy's Islamist-backed Freedom and Justice Party called for several nationwide rallies to support the leader. Thousands of his supporters poured into the streets in a Cairo suburb and at Cairo University.
Clashes were reported in at least one Cairo suburb between anti-government demonstrators and pro-Morsy protesters, according to Arab media.
Anti-Morsy protesters have gathered in huge numbers outside a presidential palace where Morsy has been working in recent days. They also have taken to other main squares in cities nationwide.
It was not clear whether Morsy was in the palace.
The anti-government group Tamarod, or "rebel," said in a posting on its Twitter account that Morsy "has no option but to leave" along with the prime minister and the Shura Council, the upper house of parliament.
In the face of the anti-government protests, which began over the weekend, five ministers announced their resignations Monday. The latest was Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr, Egypt's official Middle East News Agency reported.
Governments issue warnings against travel to Egypt
Thousands demonstrate
Demonstrations continued Tuesday in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where thousands of anti-Morsy protesters had massed, cheering as Apache helicopters buzzed the crowd.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo, which has been closed since June 30, will remain closed on Wednesday.
The UK was warning against all but essential travel to Egypt, and Canada said it was closing its embassy until further notice "for security reasons."
Although the U.S. is urging Morsy to call new elections, it did not say Morsy should step down immediately, the senior Obama administration officials said.
"We are saying to him, 'Figure out a way to go for new elections,'" a senior official said. "That may be the only way that this confrontation can be resolved."
The officials said nothing in the Egyptian constitution gives Morsy the authority to call for new elections but said that may be the only way to end the crisis.
Opinion: In Egypt, rage must lead to game plan
A State Department spokeswoman, however, denied the assertion. "The reports that we have been urging early elections are inaccurate," Jen Psaki told reporters.
The officials said the United States has also warned the Egyptian military that a coup would trigger U.S. legislation that calls for cutting off all American aid.
Psaki acknowledged that "there are conditions on aid," but said, "That's way ahead of where we are in the process."
On Monday, Obama encouraged Morsy in a telephone call to ensure that his government represents all Egyptians, "including the many Egyptians demonstrating."
Morsy's government has insisted that its decisions are legitimate, because it was democratically elected.
Obama addressed this argument directly in his conversation with Morsy.
"He stressed that democracy is about more than elections," the statement said.
Obama reiterated to Morsy that the United States does not support any party or movement in Egypt, it said. He called for an end to violence on all sides and expressed particular concern about sexual assaults on women.
State-funded Egyptian daily Al-Ahram has reported 46 sexual assaults during anti-Morsy protests in Egypt since Sunday, citing the volunteer group Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment.
A Dutch journalist was reportedly raped Friday while covering protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. She was hospitalized and underwent surgery before flying back to the Netherlands.
Over the weekend, an Egyptian journalist died in a bomb attack on a Muslim Brotherhood office; four other local journalists were beaten and their camera equipment destroyed or stolen. Two Egyptian journalists were wounded by shotgun fire.
Morsy has few friends as deadline looms
Morsy's failings
Morsy, a U.S.-educated Islamist, was elected Egypt's president in June 2012, but critics say he has become increasingly authoritarian during his year in power.
And he has failed to revive Egypt's economy, which crashed when the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak drove tourists away.
That has disaffected many of his supporters among Egypt's poor and middle classes, said Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics.
"That some of the revolutionaries are calling on the army to return to politics is a testament to how polarized Egypt is a year after the election of Morsy," Gerges said. "Think of the millions of people who cheered Morsy after his election. Think of the millions of Egyptians who pinned their hopes on Morsy.
"A year later, now, the millions of Egyptians who cheered for Morsy are saying he must go."
Gerges questioned Morsy's ability to continue to lead but said he doubted the military would depose him. Such a move "would plunge Egypt into a greater legal, political and institutional crisis," he said.
The military will want to see the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood reduced in government and in the constitution, Gerges said.
Mubarak had long repressed the Islamic political movement, but it is now the nation's most powerful political force.
Anti-government demonstrators say they have collected 17 million signatures -- 4 million more than the number who voted Morsy into the presidency -- calling for him to go.
The opposition comprises various groups and loose coalitions, some of which are loyal to the ousted Mubarak government, while others want the army to intervene.
AbdulMawgoud Dardery, a former member of parliament and a Muslim Brotherhood representative, told CNN's "Amanpour" that the military could be an "honest broker" in a national dialogue. He said Morsy has reached out to opposition leaders many times, but the opposition "is afraid of democracy."
"It failed in the previous five elections we had in Egypt since the revolution, and they don't want to fail a sixth time," he said. "That's why they're going to street politics."
U.S. student killed in Egypt was enthralled with region
CNN's Tom Watkins, Ben Brumfield, Jamie Crawford, Schams Elwazer, Karen Smith, Elise Labott, Ben Wedeman, Ian Lee, Housam Ahmed and Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report.
SOURCE:
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/02/world/meast/egypt-protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
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CONCLUSION: 1= morsy is willing to stay in power even if it means rivers of blood, and mind you the violence by the mb gangs has started.
2- the cunt that is morsy is playing that this is a military coup bec he simply cant see the millions in the freaking streets
3- the us admin position is very shaky and they r playing on this. when the admin waves the military Aid and morsy urges them to do this, you know morsy simply has nothing to do with being president of egypt.
4- right after his speech, pro morsy are calling for jihad and i quote " kill 1 or kill 100 morsy stays"
5- police officers are now being targeted by the mb clans.
i'm very disgusted, and i pray to god the coming few days pass safely and peacefully. egyptains will not rest until this guy goes, and i am confident that he is going to go.
i hope now you all know, who r the real terrorists, who are the people who change there words. they celebrate killing innocent civilians before coming to power and then change there words. we now know how has snipers who killed people in the revolution in 2011, we now know who attacked the police stations in the 2011 rev. we now know who are bigots. egyptains made a mistake to let this bastard stay in power for a year he should've left a long long long time ago.
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Wow. Holy smokes. Hang in there and stay safe, Ahmed. These are still very turbulent times... but a chance not to take the Iranian path for sure. :strong:
could'nt be truer
the turbulent times have started however the people are very confident despite the show of terror we r witnessing before and during and after morsy's disgraceful speech where he threw the wall the safety of the people. here is proof there is nothing islamic about these pricks. the ultra conservative salafists have warned him!! and urged him to piss off and leave to protect egyptain blood but seems he does'nt hear or see anything and he is laying all his bets on the US administration ironically. i think fox news will have a parade tomorrow against obama and the mb bec they were the ones who showed there true colours when they showed morsy's video regarding 9/11 and jews.
the people are standing firm with the army and police, a scene that was never this close as it is now. there fore the military has insisted after the speech on the following:
1- the ultimatum ends tomorrow at 4:30 pm cairo local time
2- the army is responsible for the safety of the people and are going to do what there main job is " protect egyptain soil and egyptain souls"
Buy on AliExpress.com
and hopefully they set the tone for the rest of the region
here is to this 
they r FAILURES 
and yet you think we dont have the right to remove this retard and his gang. the jihadi salafists ( are different from normal salafists) are threatening the army in sinai oooooooooooohhhhhh boy BRING IT ON the police and the army are dying to finish this hive of terror courtesy of morsy's exemptions of prisoners i,e killers who have egyptain blood on there hands.
enjoy.
