Morsi offers few concessions amid unrest

Activists denounce Egyptian president's call for dialogue as he refuses to delay constitutional referendum.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has addressed the nation amid ongoing unrest, and while he called for dialogue and offered sympathy for the deaths of the protesters, he offered few concessions and dismissed his political opposition. His speech on Thursday night prompted immediate angry reactions from protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square and elsewhere, who yelled "leave!" and chanted other anti-Morsi slogans. Morsi proposed a meeting on Saturday with political leaders, "revolutionary youth" and legal figures to discuss the way forward, but a leading activist group rejected the offer, and fresh demonstrations were called for Friday. The "April 6" movement, which played a prominent role in igniting the revolt against former President Hosni Mubarak said on its Facebook page that Friday's protests would deliver a "red card" to Morsi. The unrest began after Morsi issued a decree on November 22 granting him wide-ranging powers which are not subject to judicial review. Protests reached a peak on Wednesday, when seven died and more than 770 were injured during hours of clashes outside the presidential palace. Supporters of the president attacked a group of opposition protesters staging a peaceful sit-in, using firebombs, clubs and guns, according to witnesses. In his speech, Morsi called the violence "regrettable," and blamed it on "infiltrators" funded by unnamed third parties. "Such painful events happened because of political differences that should be resolved through dialogue," he said. "I call for a full, productive dialogue with all figures and heads of parties, revolutionary youth and senior legal figures to meet this Saturday". 'People can have their say' Earlier in the day, the Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group that propelled Morsi to victory in a June election, was set ablaze. Other offices of its political party were attacked. But the president offered only a few half-measures and no meaningful concessions to an increasingly angry opposition. Opposition leaders have called on Morsi to delay a constitutional referendum planned for December 15, and to revoke his decree. Morsi did say he "would not insist" on keeping the most controversial provision, article 6, which shields his decisions from review. Morsi also invited the opposition to what he called a "comprehensive and productive dialogue" on Saturday. But he said the referendum would proceed as planned, so that "people can have their say." "Let them vote yes or no," said Morsi. The president said he will supervise the formation of a new constituent assembly if the draft is rejected. Critics say the 100-member panel that drafted the document was dominated by Islamists and unrepresentative of Egyptian society. Nearly two dozen members, including liberals and representatives of the Coptic Church, have resigned over the last few weeks. Despite the opposition, though, the draft is widely expected to be approved. It has the support of the Muslim Brotherhood, by far the best-organised political force in Egypt, and several other Islamist factions as well. Morsi was the Brotherhood's presidential candidate, and a former head of the movement's Freedom and Justice Party. 'They took advantage' Leading opposition figures, including Mohamed ElBaradei, Hamdeen Sabbahi and Amr Moussa, blamed Morsi for the deaths, which many witnesses said began after protesters loyal to the president charged the opposition. Morsi insisted that the violence was caused by a minority of protesters who received "black money" and weapons from unnamed parties. "They took advantage of the situation," he said, without elaborating. Senior officials from the Brotherhood have spent the last two weeks insisting that members of Mubarak's regime are trying to overthrow Morsi - though none have been able to describe any specific plots. The unrest has turned into the worst political crisis of Morsi's five-month-old tenure. Protesters have camped out for days outside his palace, and in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Seven of Morsi's senior advisers have resigned in the past two weeks, including four since Wednesday's violence.