CAIRO – Egypt's armed forces would suspend the constitution and dissolve an Islamist-dominated parliament under a draft political road map to be pursued if President Mohamed Morsi and his opponents fail to reach a power-sharing agreement by Wednesday, military sources said. The sources told Reuters the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) was still discussing details of the plan, intended to resolve a political crisis that has brought millions of protesters into the streets. The road map could be changed based on political developments and consultations. Chief-of-staff General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called in a statement on Monday for Morsi to agree within 48 hours on power-sharing with other political forces, saying the military would otherwise set out its own road map for the country's future. The president rebuffed the ultimatum and the main liberal and leftist opposition alliance has refused to talk to him, demanding along with youth activists that he resign. The sources said the military intended to install an interim council, composed mainly of civilians from different political groups and experienced technocrats, to run the country until an amended constitution was drafted within months. That would be followed by a new presidential election, but parliamentary polls would be delayed until strict conditions for selecting candidates were in force, they said. The armed forces planned to open talks with the main opposition National Salvation Front and other political, religious and youth organizations once a deadline set for Morsi to reach a power-sharing agreement expires on Wednesday. The sources would not say how the military intended to deal with Morsi if he refused to go quietly. The emerging road map could be amended as a result of those consultations, they said. Among figures being considered as an interim head of state was the new president of the constitutional court, Adli Mansour. The emerging army blueprint closely resembles proposals for a democratic transition put forward by the NSF, which appointed former UN nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei on Monday to negotiate with the military on the way forward. The military sources said the new transition arrangements would be entirely different from the military rule that followed the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in a 2011 popular uprising. Then, the armed forces' council held effective power but was widely criticized by liberal and left-wing politicians for failing to enact vital economic and political reforms, and siding with the Muslim Brotherhood. With a military deadline for intervention ticking down, hundreds of thousands of protesters seeking the ouster of Morsi sought Tuesday to push the embattled leader further toward the edge with another massive show of resolve and unity. In a significant move, opposition parties and the youth movement behind the demonstrations agreed that ElBaradei would represent them in any negotiations on the country's political future. The pact, at least in theory, should end the bickering and rivalries that have plagued the opposition. At the same time, Morsi faced fissures from within after a stunning surge of street rage reminiscent of Egypt's Arab Spring revolution in 2011 that cleared the way for Morsi's long-suppressed Muslim Brotherhood to win the first open elections in decades. Three government spokesmen were the latest to quit as part of high-level defections that underscored his increasing isolation and fallout from the ultimatum from Egypt's powerful armed forces to either find a political solution by Wednesday or the generals would seek their own way to end the political chaos. Morsi, meanwhile, met with El-Sissi and Prime Minister Qandil in the second such meeting in as many days. At least 16 have been killed in clashes since Sunday between Morsi's opponents and his many backers, who have equated the demonstrations and military arm-twisting to a coup against a democratically elected president. A foreign ministry official said career diplomats Omar Amer and Ihab Fahmy have stepped down after nearly five months speaking on behalf of Morsi. On Monday, six Cabinet ministers quit. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. State TV later reported the resignation of Cabinet spokesmman Alaa El-Hadidy. Also Tuesday, an Egyptian court dealt another blow to Morsi's authority, ruling that the president's widely disputed appointment of an attorney general last November was illegal. Morsi's dismissal of Mahmoud Abdel-Meguid, who was appointed by Mubarak, was seen by the judiciary as an encroachment on its independence. The opposition has long demanded the removal of Abdel-Meguid's successor, Talaat Abdullah. – Agencies
