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Egypt’s Opposition Rejects Referendum

The National Salvation Front rejected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s call for dialogue unless he cancels the constitutional referendum scheduled for Dec. 15, Maggie Fick reports from Cairo.
An anti-Mursi protester gestures to soldiers marching outside the Egyptian presidential palace in Cairo December 9, 2012. A concession offered by President Mohamed Mursi failed to placate opponents who accused him on Sunday of plunging Egypt deeper into crisis by refusing to postpone a vote on a constitution shaped by Islamists.   REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih  (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)

CAIRO — Egypt's opposition coalition reaffirmed its rejection of the Dec. 15 referendum on a disputed constitution draft and rallied their supporters for protests in Tahrir Square and in cities across the country on Tuesday, saying in a statement Sunday night that dialogue with President Mohammed Morsi was impossible given the president's decision to hold firm on the referendum date.

A National Salvation Front spokesman read a statement at a news conference, saying the group, which includes Egypt's most prominent opposition figures, was ready for dialogue if the president agreed to cancel the referendum. The coalition also pledged to lead a widespread civil disobedience campaign of strikes by various labor forces that would "paralyze the economy." While they reiterated their stance that they were treating Morsi as the elected president, they also warned that his uncompromising stance was leading the country toward civil war.

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