Egypt is bracing for a day of fresh
protests after opposition leaders reacted angrily to a televised speech by
President Mohammed Morsi.
Mr Morsi, under fire for issuing a decree
that gives him sweeping new powers, had invited all major political factions to
a meeting on Saturday.
But an opposition spokesman said the
president had missed a historic chance for compromise.
Late on Thursday, the Cairo offices of the
Muslim Brotherhood were attacked.
Opposition supporters ransacked the
Islamist movement's headquarters and set it on fire. The Muslim Brotherhood
dominates the government and backs President Morsi.
Police also fired tear gas to disperse
hundreds of protesters gathered outside the president's house in his hometown
of Zagazig, north of Cairo.
'National consensus'
US President Barack Obama called Mr Morsi
on Thursday to express his "deep concern" over the recent violent
protests, the White House said.
He welcomed Mr Morsi's call for talks, but
stressed they should be "without preconditions", a statement said.
President Morsi says there were attacks
"on defenceless people"
Egypt has been plunged into crisis since
President Morsi issued a decree on 22 November stripping the judiciary of any
power to challenge his decisions.
However, he says the decree would be
cancelled after a referendum on a new constitution planned for 15 December,
whatever the result.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says it is
unlikely opposition groups will agree to the president's call for talks as they
have insisted that he must withdraw his new powers before they open
discussions.
Our correspondent says the president gave
little sign of compromise on that in his speech, or on the referendum on the
new constitution. Instead he blamed supporters of the old Hosni Mubarak regime
for the demonstrations.
Nobel prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, who
is chief co-ordinator of the opposition National Salvation Front movement,
expressed dismay at Mr Morsi's speech.
"We had hoped that the president would
answer the continuing calls to rescind the constitutional decree and delay the
referendum until there's national consensus on the constitution," he said
in a televised address.
"We had wanted the president to have a
comprehensive dialogue to save the country from the split that threatens
it."
The National Salvation Front later issued a
statement rejecting talks, saying "the fact that the presidency...
persists in ignoring the demands and protests of the people has closed the door
on any attempt for dialogue".
Another leading activist group, the April 6
movement, which played a major role in last year's revolt against Mubarak, said
on its Facebook page that protests on Friday would deliver a "red
card" to Mr Morsi.
Other opposition groups also called for
protests after Friday prayers at mosques and in squares across Egypt, Reuters
said.
Advisers resign
On Wednesday night and Thursday morning,
thousands of supporters and opponents of President Morsi fought outside the
presidential palace using rocks, petrol bombs and guns.
Five people were killed and hundreds more
injured.
Egypt's elite Republican Guard restored
order and told rival demonstrators to leave by mid-afternoon.
President Morsi's supporters withdrew but
opposition protesters remained, penned back by a barbed wire barricade guarded
by tanks.
By nightfall their numbers had swelled to
several thousand.
Mr Morsi has confirmed that the referendum
on a new constitution will go ahead as planned, saying that if the constitution
were voted down, another constituent assembly would be formed to write a new
draft.
Critics say the draft, drawn up by a body
dominated by Morsi-supporting Islamists, was rushed through parliament without
proper consultation and does not do enough to protect political and religious
freedoms and the rights of women.
Four of Mr Morsi's advisers resigned on
Wednesday. Three others did so last week and the official Mena news agency
reported a further resignation on Thursday.
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