Egypt’s army gives Morsi 48 hours to resolve crisis

Egypt’s military is giving President Mohamed Morsi and opposition leaders 48 hours to settle their differences and agree on a path forward.

Defense Minister General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued the ultimatum Monday, after violent protesters ransacked the Cairo headquarters of  Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.

The statement came after anti-government protesters stormed the Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood.

People ransacked the building and set parts on fire, a day after millions took to the streets across the country to demand the president leave power.

Five Egyptian ministers have tendered their resignations from Mohamed Morsi’s cabinet, a senior official has said, as protests against the president’s rule filled the streets of cities throughout the country.

Earlier on Monday, the state news agency, MENA, said the ministers were considering resigning in sympathy with the protesters who were calling for the resignation of Morsi.

Those who resigned were the tourism minister, Hisham Zaazou; communication and IT minister Atef Helmi; the minister for legal and parliamentary affairs, Hatem Bagato; water minister Abdel Qawy Khalifa; and environment minister Khaled Abdel-Aal.

They handed in their letters of resignation together to Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, the official said.

In the capital, Cairo, the official building of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood to which Morsi belongs, was set ablaze before people stormed and looted the building. The interior ministry said that eight people had been killed in the violence.

People were seen leaving with petrol bombs, helmets, flak jackets, furniture, televisions and documents.

Earlier, opposition organizers said they were giving President Morsi until 5 p.m. Cairo time on Tuesday to resign.

Many anti-Morsi protesters spent the night in dozens of tents pitched at Cairo’s central Tahrir Square and the palace, positions organisers say they will hold until Morsi resigns.

In fewer numbers, supporters of the Egyptian president came out on Sunday to show their support and defend the legitimacy of the president.

In total, 16 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi groups.

Anti-government demonstrations in Egypt on Sunday were the largest since the 2011 revolution that swept former president Hosni Mubarak from power. Arabic-language media quoted the Interior Ministry saying the crowds in Cairo and other cities across Egypt totaled as many as 3 million people.

Some protesters remained in Cairo’s Tahrir Square overnight and some, like Jamal Helal, vowed not to back down.

As tensions mounted Sunday, the presidential office issued a statement saying dialogue is the only way out of Egypt’s political crisis.

In an interview published in the British newspaper The Guardian, President Morsi said that if he gave in to the pressure, a new president could face similar opposition demands to quit after a “week or a month.”

Egypt’s military has warned both sides to resolve their differences through negotiations but neither the military nor the police intervened when protesters stormed the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo.

Since last week, supporters and opponents of President Morsi have been engaging in sporadic and sometimes deadly clashes.

Source:  The Times Of Earth / Agencies