Egypt's Morsi calls on opposition for dialogue
Date 2013/6/23 17:00:57 | Topic: Egypt
| Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has reiterated on Saturday his call for dialogue with the opposition groups to forge a roadmap to bridge gap and eliminate disagreements.
Morsi's appeal comes only eight days before planned mass protests on June 30 to push for holding early presidential elections.
"I invite everyone for a balanced dialogue without preconditions to discuss what would achieve the interests of our nation, and to meet the aspirations of our people," Morsi said in an interview published in the state-owned Akhbar al-Youm newspaper on Saturday.
Criticizing the preconditions set by the opposition, Morsi said: "The dialogue shouldn't start with crippling conditions, and it should come up with with recommendations, not orders."
The interview comes a day after tens of thousands of Egyptian Islamists flocked on Friday to the square near Rabia al-Adawiya Mosque in Cairo's Nasr City to support Morsi in a rally dubbed "No for Violence," in a show of strength ahead of the opposition massive demonstrations slated for June 30 by the Tamarod Petition Campaign (Rebel in Arabic), the first anniversary of Morsi's inauguration.
"The call for protests on June 30 reflects an atmosphere of freedom granted to us by 2011 revolution," he said.
The country however will take all the necessary legal measures to face violence and vandalism, he added.
"If the Egyptians choose someone else in the coming presidential elections, I will hand him the power in accordance with the constitution and the law," added the president, asserting he totally rejects the "monopoly of power."
President Morsi said he would consider bringing forward the parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place this year, to find a clear road for all in managing the differences in views.
Morsi accused 'the beneficiaries' of the old regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak of destabilizing the country.
"They want to bring back the past because the revolution harmed their interests," he said, adding that Egyptians must abort the devil plans of those beneficiaries who don't want calm and stability for Egypt.
Morsi denied that there is difference between the presidency and the Armed Forces, because "we managed to establish military civil relations consistent with the democracy, according to the constitution."
Morsi is currently facing a rebel campaign led by activists and opposition leaders, who have gathered millions of petitions calling for his ouster. They also seek to press him for an early presidential election through the June 30 demonstrations.
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