Morsi addresses nation after 7 killed,700 injured in clashes

, Dec 7: More than 30 hours after

erupted between supporters of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and those opposing him, the Egyptian president on Thursday addressed the nation in a live televised speech. Morsi vowed to push on with a Dec 15 referendum on the controversial new constitution, saying "afterwards, there should be no obstacle and everyone must follow its will".

If the referendum says a yes or no, he promised to cancel the recent controversial constitutional declaration and to form a new constituent assembly. Morsi held figures of the opposition and remnants of the former regime responsible for the recent events, adding, more details would be revealed in the coming days by the prosecution. In his speech, Morsi said more than 80 people had been arrested.

Morsi offered to hold dialogue with the opposition and to meet their representatives on Saturday in his offices. As soon as the speech ended, Egyptian social media was abuzz with calls for taking to the streets tomorrow once again in objection to the current situation. Concurrently, the main headquarters of the Freedom and Justice Party in Mukkatam area was set on fire.

Seven people died and more than 700 were injured yesterday in clashes between Morsi's Islamist supporters and his mainly secular opponents in Egypt's worst political crisis since Morsi took office in June. The anti-Morsi camp is furious with the president for assuming sweeping powers two weeks ago and by what it feels was the railroading through by an Islamist-dominated panel of the draft constitution.

PTI