Egypt's military gives Morsi 48-hour ultimatum
HAMZA HENDAWI, SARAH EL DEEB and MAGGIE MICHAEL
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's military gave a "last-chance" ultimatum Monday to President Mohammed Morsi, giving him 48 hours to meet the demands of millions of protesters in the streets seeking his ouster, or the generals will intervene and impose their own plan for the country. Army helicopters swooped over
The military's statement, read on state TV, put enormous pressure on Morsi to step down. Giant crowds demanding his departure in cities around the country for a second straight day erupted into delirious parties of celebration, with men and women dancing, and some crying as patriotic songs blasted from speakers on cars.
But any army move against Morsi after the two-day deadline risks a backlash from Morsi's Islamist backers, including his powerful Muslim Brotherhood and hard-liners, some of whom belong to former armed militant groups.
After the army statement, multiple officials of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood insisted that the military and street protests cannot overturn the legitimacy of the president's election. An alliance of the Brotherhood and other Islamists read as statement at a televised press conference calling on all people "to rally in defense of legitimacy and reject any attempt to overturn it."
Pro-Morsi marches numbering in the several thousands began after nightfall in a string of cities around the country. In
"Any coup of any kind against legitimacy will only pass over our dead bodies," one leading Brotherhood figure, Mohammed el-Beltagi, told the rally. A line of around 1,500 men with shields, helmets and sticks — assigned with protecting the rally against attackers — stamped their feet in military-like lines, singing, "Stomp our feet, raise a fire, Islam's march is coming."
Army troops at checkpoints on roads leading to the pro-Morsi rally checked cars for weapons, after repeated reports some Islamists were arming themselves.
The army's stance also raises a unsettling prospect for many of Morsi's opponents as well — the potential return of the military that ruled
Even many who welcomed Monday's announcement expressed worries over a possible outright military takeover.
"Morsi will leave, but I'm concerned with the plan afterward. The military should be a tool to pressure, but we had a bitter experience with military ruling the country and we don't want to repeat it," said Roshdy Khairy, a 24-year-old doctor among the throngs in
Hours after its announcement, the military issued a second statement on its Facebook page denying it intended a coup. "The ideology and culture of the Egyptian armed forces does not allow for the policy of a military coup," it said.
Instead, in its initial statement, the military said it would "announce a road-map for the future and measures to implement it" if Morsi and its opponents cannot reach a consensus within 48 hours — a virtual impossibility. It promised to include all "patriotic and sincere" factions in the process.
The military underlined it will "not be a party in politics or rule." But it said it has a responsibility to find a solution because
It did not detail the road map, but it heavily praised the massive protests that began on Sunday demanding that he step down and that early elections be called — suggesting that call had to be satisfied. It called the protests "glorious," saying the participants expressed their opinion "in peaceful and civilized manner." It called "for the people's demands to be met."
Morsi met Monday with military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Prime Minister Hesham Kandil, according to the president's Facebook page, without giving further details. Associated Press calls to spokespeople for the presidency were not answered.
In a sign of Morsi's growing isolation, five Cabinet ministers said on Monday they have resigned their posts, the state news agency said. The five are the ministers of communications, legal affairs, environment, tourism and water utilities, MENA reported.
The governor of the strategic
The swiftness of the military's new statement suggested it was prompted by the stunning turnout by the opposition on Sunday — and the eruptions of violence that point to how the confrontation could spiral into chaos if it continues.
Sunday's protests were the largest seen in
Deadly violence broke out in several parts of the country, often when marchers came under gunfire, apparently from Islamists. In
Nationwide, at least 16 people were killed Sunday and more than 780 injured, Health Ministry spokesman Yehya Moussa told state television.
The crowds turned out again Monday across the country — in slightly smaller numbers, but in a more uproariously joyous mood after the military's announcement gave them hope of a quick victory. The group organizing the protests, Tamarod, Arabic for "Rebel," issued an ultimatum of its own, giving Morsi until Tuesday afternoon to step down or it would escalate the rallies even further.
"Come out, el-Sissi. The people want to topple the regime," protesters in the Nile Delta city of Mahalla el-Kubra chanted, drumming out a rhythm with a stick on the carcass of a sheep . "Sheep" is the slur many in the opposition use against Brotherhood members, depicting them as mindless followers — to the fury of the Brothers, many of whom are professionals from doctors to university professors.
The broad boulevards packed with anti-Morsi protesters outside
"God willing we will be victorious over the president and his failing regime," said Mohammed el-Tawansi, sitting on the pavement with his wife singing along.
"He divided us, now the people and the army are together. They will not be able to do anything. They can't fight the people and the army," he said, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Down the street, protesters Amr el-Ayat raised a banner reading "cautious optimism".
"The military statement was good, because we have no other way now," he said. "But I worry people will deify el-Sissi. The military is to protect not to rule."
Some were perfectly happy to have the military take over. In Tahrir, Omar Moawad el-Sayed, a math teacher with the beard of a Muslim conservative, said he wished el-Sissi had outright announced military rule.
"The military is the most impartial institution now," he said.
Some hoped that the "road map" the military had in mind would be a framework drawn up by Tamarod. Under it, after Morsi steps down, the head of the
For Islamists, however, the idea of Morsi stepping down was an inconceivable infringement on the repeated elections they won since Mubarak's fall, giving them not only a longtime Muslim Brotherhood leader as president but majorities in parliament.
Morsi and Brotherhood officials say they are defending democratic legitimacy and some have depicted the planned protests as led by Mubarak loyalists trying to return to power. But many of his Islamist allies have also depicted it as a fight against Islam.
"The military has sacrificed legitimacy. There will be a civil war," Manal Shouib, a 47-year-old physiotherapist at the pro-president rally outside the Rabia al-Adawiya Mosque not far from Ittihadiya.
Ahmed Abdel-Aziz, who was the "trainer" of the line of men doing military-style drills, shouted and roared in a tirade against Mubarak loyalists, Christians, judges, police, opposition politicians, columnists and writers he said were conspiring against Morsi. He said they attacked "anywhere that has Islam in it."
"El-Sissi's statement doesn't concern us. We will sacrifice ourselves to defend legitimacy and we will die if this is our destiny," he told The Associated Press. "If the whole of
At sunset, the cleric at Rabia al-Adawiya led prayers, asking God to "accept us as martyrs for Your cause and make Your slave Mohammed Morsi victorious."
Nearly 1,500 supporters of the president marched in the Canal city of
Outside Ittihadiya, protesters contended that Morsi could not survive with only the Islamist bloc on his side.
"It is now the whole people versus one group. What can he do?" Mina Adel, a Christian accountant said. "The army is the savior and the guarantor for the revolution to succeed."
Associated Press writers Tony G. Gabriel and Mariam Rizk contributed to this report.