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E-mail Xinhua, December 7, 2012
The Egyptian National Salvation Front, a new opposition coalition formed recently with liberals and leftists, refused a suggestion for dialogue by President Mohamed Morsi, Ahram online reported Friday.
The front said in a statement that the speech delivered by Morsi late Thursday did not meet the whole Egyptians' aspirations.
"The president's speech was surprising because it denied all the realities that the whole world saw on the TV channels, which proved that all the violent attacks against the peaceful protestors before the presidential palace Wednesday were incited by the Muslim Brotherhood leaders," the statement said.
"The president's speech was intended to divide the people to two parties, his supporters whom he described as protecting the legitimacy, and the opponents whom he described as getting out of the legitimacy," the front said in its a statement.
"Based on the above, the front refuses the dialogue suggested by the president, because it lacks the principles of the serious negotiations by ignoring the front's basic demands, which are cancelling the latest constitutional declaration, and cancelling the constitution referendum scheduled for Dec. 15," the statement added.
The front stressed the necessity of opening investigations over the recent violence triggered Wednesday before the presidential palace, noting that it will continue using all the legal ways to defend its rights and freedoms.
Morsi delivered a long-waited speech Thursday night, denouncing recent bloody clashes outside the presidential palace and inviting all opposition forces to meet Saturday afternoon at the palace for a dialogue over the solution to the ongoing crisis.
Morsi added that in case the draft constitution is disapproved in the Dec. 15 referendum, he will call for the formation of a new constituent assembly.
The president noted that he was willing to give up, if necessary, Article 6 of the constitutional declaration, which gives him the right to take "any required measures" to protect the country, after the intended dialogue with the political forces.
He reaffirmed that the constitutional declaration was only meant to protect the country and to accomplish the new constitution.
On Nov. 22, Morsi issued a new constitutional declaration which rules that all laws, decrees and constitutional declarations issued by the president since he came into office on June 30 are final and unchallengeable by anybody, which triggered a nationwide wave of protests and demonstrations.
Protesters did not calm down even though Morsi later promised that the declaration was only temporary and would be withdrawn as soon as the draft constitution was approved by Egyptians in the upcoming referendum, which was later slated for Dec. 15.
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