Morsi supporters are holding a round-the-clock sit-in calling for his reinstatement
Supporters
and opponents of the ousted Egyptian Islamist President Mohammed Morsi
are preparing to stage large rallies in Cairo on the first Friday of the
fasting month of Ramadan.
Mr Morsi's supporters are gathering in their thousands in the east of the city to call for his reinstatement.
Those whose mass demonstrations led to his removal by the military last week are expected to mass in Tahrir Square.
Dozens of people have died in deadly clashes since Mr Morsi's ousting.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Cairo says Mr Morsi's Muslim
Brotherhood movement may have alienated many people while in office, but
many Egyptians are also uneasy at the military's intervention in the
country's politics, and what is emerging is a battle for public opinion
and the middle ground.
On Thursday the US urged Egypt's leadership to stop the new
authorities' "arbitrary" arrests of Muslim Brotherhood members, warning
against targeting any particular group.
Germany's foreign ministry called for all groups to refrain
from violence, while urging the Egyptian authorities to end restrictions
on Mr Morsi and allow an international organisation access to him.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has also warned against the exclusion of any party from the political process.
However, White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the US
administration did not believe it should immediately suspend aid to
Egypt.
Washington is due to send four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt, but has not publicly confirmed that the delivery will go ahead.
The US administration says it is examining whether the
military takeover constitutes a coup - US law prohibits the sending of
aid to any country whose elected leader is deposed by a military coup.
Source . http://www.bbc.co.uk
Comments