Egypt's main opposition alliance denied that it was demanding the
overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, backing away from an earlier
statement that appeared to do just that.
Meanwhile, Central Bank of Egypt yesterday said the country's foreign reserves fell by almost 10 percent to $13.6 billion in January, , below what it had in December described as a "critical minimum" of $15 billion.
The bank had warned last month that its reserves had reached critical levels at $15 billion, only enough to cover three months of imports, as political turmoil forced the government to postpone subsidy cuts and the finalisation of a deal with the IMF for $4.8 billion in aid.
After a week of nationwide violence between protesters and security forces in which 59 people were killed, the Front had issued a statement on Saturday calling for Morsi, his interior minister and other associates to be investigated and put on trial for "killings, torture and illegal detentions".
It said it supported peaceful protests to achieve these demands and called for Egyptians to rally in the streets.
However, NSF spokesman Khaled Daoud said on Monday the coalition of liberal, social democratic and leftist parties was not demanding the removal of the Islamist Morsi, who became Egypt's first democratically elected president seven months ago.
"We are not calling for the overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi right now. We believe he is elected but that doesn't give him the right to change all the rules of the game," Daoud said.
The Front includes liberal politicians such as former UN nuclear agency head Mohamed ElBaradei and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who last week signed a statement mediated by the country's leading Muslim scholar renouncing violence and calling for a national dialogue.
The Front said it would not engage in dialogue until what it called the bloodbath had stopped, those responsible were tried, and the opposition's previously stated demands were met.
Those demands include forming a national unity government, which Morsi has rejected before parliamentary elections due in April, and revising a controversial Islamist-leaning constitution adopted last December.
Meanwhile, Central Bank of Egypt yesterday said the country's foreign reserves fell by almost 10 percent to $13.6 billion in January, , below what it had in December described as a "critical minimum" of $15 billion.
The bank had warned last month that its reserves had reached critical levels at $15 billion, only enough to cover three months of imports, as political turmoil forced the government to postpone subsidy cuts and the finalisation of a deal with the IMF for $4.8 billion in aid.
After a week of nationwide violence between protesters and security forces in which 59 people were killed, the Front had issued a statement on Saturday calling for Morsi, his interior minister and other associates to be investigated and put on trial for "killings, torture and illegal detentions".
It said it supported peaceful protests to achieve these demands and called for Egyptians to rally in the streets.
However, NSF spokesman Khaled Daoud said on Monday the coalition of liberal, social democratic and leftist parties was not demanding the removal of the Islamist Morsi, who became Egypt's first democratically elected president seven months ago.
"We are not calling for the overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi right now. We believe he is elected but that doesn't give him the right to change all the rules of the game," Daoud said.
The Front includes liberal politicians such as former UN nuclear agency head Mohamed ElBaradei and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who last week signed a statement mediated by the country's leading Muslim scholar renouncing violence and calling for a national dialogue.
The Front said it would not engage in dialogue until what it called the bloodbath had stopped, those responsible were tried, and the opposition's previously stated demands were met.
Those demands include forming a national unity government, which Morsi has rejected before parliamentary elections due in April, and revising a controversial Islamist-leaning constitution adopted last December.
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