Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has once again called for dialogue with the opposition in order to reduce political tensions ahead of an upcoming rally planned by his opponents.
On Saturday, in an interview published in the state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper, Morsi called upon all political parties and factions to engage in dialogue in order to settle their differences.
“I have said it before. I urge everyone to sit together to discuss what would achieve the interests of our nation,” he said.
Morsiâ„¢s call for a nationwide dialogue comes a day after thousands of his supporters took to the streets of the capital Cairo on Friday to renew allegiance with him.
Meanwhile, Egyptian security officials say the countryâ„¢s airports will raise their alert level to “high” ahead of June 30 event by opposition-backed protesters.
“An emergency plan will be put in place from June 28 until July 1,” the head of Cairo airport security, General Magdy al-Yussri, told reporters.
Airport officials have also announced plans to provide security personnel with the necessary arms and equipment Å“to protect these vital establishments,” fearing that the opposition rally could get violent.
The opposition protest rally is expected to call for the immediate resignation of Morsi and a snap presidential election.
The president’s supporters have strongly condemned the upcoming opposition rally as a coup against democracy.
On June 30, Morsi marks one year in power as Egypt’s first freely elected president.
Egypt has witnessed anti-government protests since Morsi took office in June 2012 in landmark elections held following the ouster of the country’s former dictator, Hosni Mubarak.
The opposition groups accuse the government of being dominated by Muslim Brotherhood.
Morsiâ„¢s supporters, however, say the president is cleansing Egyptian institutions of corruption. They also believe that he needs time to put into practice the principles of the 2011 revolution.
MT/JR/SS
This article originally appeared on: Press TV