The military has drawn up a road map for suspending parliament, naming civilian council.

The military has drawn up a road map for suspending parliament, naming

civilian council.



CAIRO — President Mohammed Morsi refused to step down Wednesday and

called on the military not to "take sides" even as the army chief of

staff met with opposition figures and religious leaders to discuss its

"road map" for dramatic political reform.'



The military had called on Morsi 48 hours ago to yield to the mass

protests or step aside, but the Associated Press reported that he had

refused to step aside as the final minutes of the deadline ticked down

Wednesday.



State media reported that the "road map" would include a new interim

leadership, installed by the military, and a suspension of the

Islamist-backed constitution and the Islamist-dominated parliament.



The BBC reported that the army asked all but essential staff to leave

the state TV building ahead of the deadline, which expired around 4:30

p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET.).



At least 39 people have died since the protests began on Sunday. Many

of the latest deaths occurred after gunfire erupted outside Cairo

University in Giza, where pro-Morsi demonstrators gathered to show

support for the president, who comes from the 85-year-old Muslim

Brotherhood, the Associated Press reported.



The meeting between opposition groups and army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah

al-Sisi was announced by opposition spokesman Khaled Dwoud in a live

telephone interview with state television.



It included Mohamed ElBaradei, Egypt's leading democracy advocate, who

represents the opposition National Salvation Front coalition and the

youth groups leading anti-Morsi protesters. Also in attendance to

discuss the proposed political "road map" were Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb,

grand imam of Al-Azhar mosque, and Pope Tawadros II, patriarch of

Egypt's Coptic Christian minority.



Mohamed Abou El Ghar, president of the Egyptian Social Democratic

party, tells USA TODAY that the opposition is demanding that Morsi

must go, and that there should be a "civilian, temporary, honorary

president, preferably from the higher constitutional court and a

civilian prime minister with a small cabinet to run the country in the

coming period."



"The military and the police should only guard the borders and the

security inside the country," he said. "So, it should be clear in the

minds of the West that this is not a coup. This is not a military

coup."



Moving forward, he added, the opposition does not want to isolate the

Muslim Brotherhood. "We want the Muslim Brothers to share in the

future elections and the future parliament," he said.



As the deadline loomed, Morsi showed little interest in compromise,

however, going on national TV Tuesday night to reject calls for his

ouster.



A spokesman for Morsi, Ayman Ali, told Reuters that that president

believes it is better "to die standing like a tree" than turn back

history.



"It is better for a president, who would otherwise be returning Egypt

to the days of dictatorship, from which God and the will of the people

has saved us, to die standing like a tree," Ali tells the news

agency."Rather than be condemned by history and future generations for

throwing away the hopes of Egyptians for establishing a democratic

life."



In an emotional 46-minute speech, Morsi warned the military against

removing him, saying such action will "backfire on its perpetrators."



Morsi, who took office almost exactly one year ago, pledged to protect

his "constitutional legitimacy" with his life.



He accused loyalists of his ousted autocratic predecessor Hosni

Mubarak of exploiting the wave of protests to topple his regime and

thwart democracy.



"There is no substitute for legitimacy," said Morsi, who at times

angrily raised his voice, thrust his fist in the air and pounded the

podium. He warned that electoral and constitutional legitimacy "is the

only guarantee against violence."

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