Egypt army calls for dialogue to end crisis

Egypt’s army has called on all parties to resolve the country’s political crisis through dialogue, saying it will not allow tensions to yield “disastrous” results.

“The path of dialogue is the best and only way to reach agreement and achieve the interests of the nation and its citizens,” said Egyptian armed forces in a statement on Saturday.

“The opposite of that will take us into a dark tunnel with disastrous results — and that is something we will not allow,” the statement added.

Massive protests against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi have broken out in the North African country after he issued a constitutional declaration on November 22, permitting the president to take “any decision or measure to protect the revolution.”

The decree also makes decisions and laws issued by the president “final and not subject to appeal.

The Egyptian military further said that the armed forces would continue to safeguard the nation’s security.

“The military establishment stands always with the great Egyptian people and insists on its unity,” said the statement.

“We confirm that we support national dialogue and the path of democracy… to bring together all factions in the country,” it added.

Earlier in the day, Egyptian Vice President Mahmud Mekki said Morsi would be prepared to postpone the December 15.referendum on the country’s draft constitution if there are no legal ramifications.

However, the Egyptian opposition, National Salvation Front, refused to take part in a dialogue proposed by the president, saying that Morsi “went against the repeated appeals to him to offer consensus solutions… to lift Egypt out of its current disastrous situation.”