Mursi defiant as army deadline elapses

Egypt's army commander and President Mohammed Mursi have each pledged to die for his cause as a deadline elapsed that was set to trigger a military takeover backed by protesters.

The Egyptian presidency said a coalition government should be part of a solution but appeared to offer no new compromises.

A statement reiterated that President Mursi held opposition parties responsible for obstructing a political initiative that would also set up a panel to prepare amendments to the constitution passed into law last December.

Security sources have reported that Egyptian troops with armoured vehicles have secured the central Cairo studios of state television.

Sources said staff not involved in working on live broadcasts had left the building.

The army said it had set no times for issuing statements or speeches as the deadline approached.

Army sources had previously said the army would issue a statement after the deadline expired at about 5pm (4pm Irish time).

The military had on Monday given politicians 48 hours to agree a resolution of the political standoff, saying that if they failed to do so, it would impose its own road map.

Military chiefs, vowing to restore order in a country racked by demonstrations over Mr Mursi's Islamist policies, issued a call to battle in a statement headlined "The Final Hours".

They said they were willing to shed blood against "terrorists and fools" after Mr Mursi refused to give up his elected office.

In an emotional, rambling television address last night, Mr Mursi said he was democratically elected and would stay in office to uphold the constitutional order, declaring: "The price of preserving legitimacy is my life."

State news agency MENA said civil servants were occupying the cabinet office and would not let Prime Minister Hisham Kandil enter the building.

The official spokesman of Mr Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement said supporters were willing to become martyrs to defend him.

The Egypt25 television station owned and run by the Brotherhood was continuing to broadcast live split-screen coverage of pro-Mursi demonstrations.

The state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said Mr Mursi was expected to either step down or be removed from office and the army would set up a three-member presidential council to be chaired by the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court.

A military source said he expected the army to first call political, social and economic figures and youth activists for talks on its draft roadmap for the country's future.

Political sources said armed forces commander General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met the main liberal opposition leader, Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, the heads of the Muslim and Christian religious authorities and leaders of smaller Islamist parties this morning.

However, a military source later denied that Gen Sisi and Mr ElBaradei were meeting.

The Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, refused an invitation to meet Gen Sisi, saying it only recognised the elected president.

At least 16 people, mostly supporters of the president, were killed and about 200 wounded when gunmen opened fire overnight on pro-Mursi demonstrators at Cairo University campus.

The Muslim Brotherhood accused uniformed police of the shooting. The Interior Ministry said it was investigating.

For the first time in many months, uniformed police were back patrolling the streets, and the Interior Ministry said in a statement it would "confront all forms of violence".

Military sources told Reuters the army had drafted a plan to sideline Mr Mursi, suspend the constitution and dissolve the Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament after the deadline passes.

US urges compromise in Egyptian crisis

The United States has urged compromise. It has funded the army for decades, since long before the fall of Mubarak in 2011, as a key part of helping secure the US' ally Israel.

Mursi aides have said they believe a coup would need US support.

The US has also defended the legitimacy of Mr Mursi's election to lead the biggest Arab nation, as part of a strategy of promoting democracy in the Middle East since the Arab Spring.

President Barack Obama told Mr Mursi by telephone that talks with opponents were needed.

Mr Mursi said on Twitter that he would not be "dictated to internally or internationally".

A senior European diplomat said world powers would have no choice but to condemn the military removal of an elected head of state, even if the generals have support on the streets.

In his television address, Mr Mursi warned that any deviation from the democratic order approved in a series of votes last year would lead Egypt down a dangerous path.

Irish citizens advised over travelling to Egypt

The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised all Irish citizens to exercise caution in all areas of Egypt and avoid all travel to Northern Sinai.

There have been a number of security incidents in Sinai in recent months, some involving tourists.

The department has also told Irish citizens to avoid all protests and demonstrations and if caught up in a demonstration they should leave the area immediately and not take any photographs.

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