FOXNews.com: Egypt Teeters as Deadline Looms

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Egypt Teeters as Deadline Looms Jul 3rd 2013, 10:04 Egypt teetered on the brink of overthrow Wednesday after a defiant Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi rejected an ultimatum issued by the military and at least 23 people were reported killed in clashes between his supporters and opponents. Defense officials have pledged to intervene if the government does not address public demands and end the political turmoil engulfing Cairo. In a speech to the nation broadcast live late Tuesday, Morsi said he would not step down and would protect his "constitutional legitimacy" with his life. The deadly clashes came just one day before the deadline set by the military for Morsi and his opponents to work out their differences. The Associated Press reported that at least 23 people were killed in Cairo Tuesday and more than 200 injured, according to hospital and security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Most of the killings took place outside Cairo University located at Cairo's twin city of Giza. The official Al-Ahram website reported that the armed forces deployed armored vehicles to the area. The latest deaths take the number of people who have died since large-scale protests began Sunday to 39, many of them in shootings of anti-Morsi gatherings. Morsi said Tuesday he would pursue his own plans for reconciliation between his government and opposition leaders, according to Reuters. The Egyptian leader has repeatedly vowed not to quit, saying that street action must not be allowed to remove an elected president. At the same time, Morsi has offered no concessions, although his opponents appear in no mood to accept anything short of his removal. His Islamist supporters, some hardliners who belong to formerly armed militant groups, have vowed to defend him. Reuters reported that a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) said "everyone" rejected the military declaration. The leaking of the military's so-called political "road map" appeared aimed at adding pressure on Morsi by showing the public and the international community that the military has a plan that does not involve a coup. On his official Twitter account, Morsi urged the armed forces "to withdraw their ultimatum" and said he rejects any domestic or foreign dictates." The army has insisted it has no intention to take power. But the reported road map showed it was ready to replace Morsi and make a sweeping change in the ramshackle political structure that has evolved since Mubarak's fall in February 2011. The constitution and domination of the legislature after elections held in late 2011-early 2012 are two of the Islamists' and Brotherhood's most valued victories — along with Morsi's election last year. At least one anti-Morsi TV station put up a clock counting down to the end of the military's ultimatum, putting it at 4 p.m. Wednesday (1400 GMT, 10 a.m. EDT), though a countdown clock posted online by Morsi opponents put the deadline at 5 p.m. (1500 GMT, 11 a.m. EDT). The military did not give a precise hour. Morsi also faced new fissures within his leadership. Three government spokesmen — two for Morsi and one for the prime minister — quit on Tuesday as part of high-level defections that underscored Morsi's increasing isolation and fallout from the military's ultimatum. Five Cabinet ministers, including the foreign minister, resigned Monday, and a sixth, Sports Minister El-Amry Farouq, also quit Tuesday. One ultraconservative Salafi party, al-Nour, also announced its backing for early elections. The party was once an ally of Morsi but in recent months has broken with him. In a significant move, opposition parties and the youth movement behind the demonstrations agreed that reform leader and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei would represent them in any negotiations on the country's political future. The move appeared aimed at presenting a unified voice in a post-Morsi system, given the widespread criticism that the opposition has been too fragmented to present an alternative to the Islamists. The Associated Press contributed to this report

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