Morsi gives Egypt Military the Bird….

Morsi won’t resign, tells military not to ‘take sides’

CAIRO — President Mohammed Morsi refused to step down Wednesday and called on the military not to “take sides” even as the army chief of staff met with opposition figures and religious leaders to discuss its “road map” for dramatic political reform.

Morsi called instead for the formation of an interim coalition government, led by a prime minister approved by the major political parties.

In the last minute statement before an afternoon deadline imposed by the military, Morsi again rejected army intervention, saying abiding by his electoral legitimacy was the only way to prevent violence. He criticized the military for “taking only one side.”

“One mistake that cannot be accepted, and I say this as president of all Egyptians, is to take sides,” he said in the statement issued by his office. “Justice dictates that the voice of the masses from all squares should be heard.”

There were unconfirmed reports on Al Hayat local TV that Morsi had been placed under house arrest and that the head of Muslim Brotherhood had been barred from leaving the country.. NBC News, however, reports that two of the president’s advisors say house arrest report is not true.

The military had called on Morsi 48 hours ago to yield to the mass protests or step aside to defuse the political deadlock that had sent millions of protesters into the street.

As the deadline approached, crowds swelled Cairo’s Tahrir Square where, according to the state news agency MENA, police were handing out juice and water to anti-Morsi protesters.

State media reported that the “road map” would include a new interim leadership, installed by the military, and a suspension of the Islamist-backed constitution and the Islamist-dominated parliament.

Read More: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/03/egypt-morsi-protests-army-deadline/2485355/