Egypt opposition calls for urgent talks
2013-01-30 13:19
Cairo - Mohamed ElBaradei, a leading figure in the
opposition National Salvation Front, called on Wednesday for urgent talks with
Egypt's leadership to address the political crisis gripping the country.
"We want an immediate meeting between the president,
the ministers of defence and interior, the ruling party, the Salafist movement
and the National Salvation Front to take urgent measures to end the violence
and begin a serious dialogue," ElBaradei said in a tweet.
His call comes two days after the opposition rejected
President Mohammed Morsi's call for dialogue to resolve the crisis.
Egypt has witnessed almost a week of deadly violence which
has left more than 50 people dead, most of them in Port Said where clashes
erupted Saturday after a court issued death sentences against 21 supporters of
a local football club for their role in deadly riots last year.
The National Salvation Front indicated Wednesday that some
of its leaders would meet during the day with representatives of the main
Salafist party, Al-Nour, in response to an invitation from the
ultra-conservative Islamist group to discuss the "deterioration of the
situation."
Egypt's military chief on Tuesday warned that the political
crisis could lead to the collapse of the state.
"The continuing conflict between political forces and
their differences concerning the management of the country could lead to a
collapse of the state and threaten future generations," said General Abdel
Fattah al-Sissi.
