Morsi supporters stage Eid protests in Cairo

Supporters of Egypt’s deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi rallied in their thousands in Cairo yesterday to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday and demand his restoration as the military held back from breaking up their protests.

Naglaa Mahmoud, the rarely seen wife of the ousted president, made a surprise appearance on stage at the main demonstration in Cairo to appeal for her husband to be allowed back into power as crowds roared “Return! Return!”

But crowds also filled Tahrir Square in a show of support for the military and the interim government it installed after overthrowing Morsi five weeks ago.

The political crisis has reached a dangerous new phase following the collapse this week of an international effort to bridge the gap between the two sides and avert bloodshed.

But the four-day Eid holiday at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan started in a festive and largely peaceful atmosphere. By late afternoon no violence had been reported.

Sheikh Gomaa Mohamed Ali led prayers at Tahrir Square and spoke out against further bloodshed. He called on Morsi supporters to abandon their protest camps at the Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque and Cairo’s Nasr City.

Interim president Adly Mansour had on Wednesday warned the protesters to leave the camps or face action, saying government patience was running out. He also said the mediation effort by US, European and Arab envoys had failed.

Confidence-building steps
However, a person involved in the diplomatic push said the authorities and Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood might yet step back from confrontation and implement mutual confidence-building steps that could lead to a negotiated settlement.

“It’s not over yet,” the diplomat said. “It could work but we don’t have any guarantees. Everything is very fragile.”

Government and military sources said the talks had not terminated but had been frozen, to assuage public anger over perceived foreign interference in Egypt’s affairs and the authorities’ willingness to negotiate with the brotherhood.

A military source said the authorities were holding back from using force to clear the protest camps partly due to fear that liberal vice-president Mohamed ElBaradei would resign, removing a source of political legitimacy for army rule.

Interim prime minister Hazem el-Beblawi visited the central security forces yesterday in an apparent effort to calm hardliners impatient for tougher action. “He assured them that the government places security at the top of its priorities,” a statement from Beblawi’s office said.

Mr Morsi has been detained at a secret location since the military removed him from power on July 3rd. Other senior brotherhood figures have also been rounded up. – (Reuters)