Egyptian police fire tear gas at Brotherhood protesters

Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi understands that there must be a political solution to the crisis in Egypt, Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei said in an interview published on Friday, adding that "the army is on the edge".

"He understands that there has to be a political solution. But of course he has a responsibility to protect the country in terms of security. And the army is on the edge," ElBaradei said in an interview with the Washington Post.
 
This comes as Egyptian police fired tear gas on Friday to disperse supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood who the Interior Ministry said had blocked traffic near a television production complex outside the capital, Cairo.
   
A ministry statement gave no details on the size of the protest or whether anyone had been hurt or detained. Egypt was braced on Friday for a possible crackdown on two Cairo sit-ins by Muslim Brotherhood supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Earlier, thousands of supporters of Egypt's former president Mohammed Morsi marched to the military intelligence headquarters overnight into Friday, despite a government warning that it would disperse two vigils in the capital, Cairo.          

The Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters have announced plans to organize new mass marches on Friday, which they have dubbed "Egypt Against the Coup."           

Egypt's military-backed government offered protection on Thursday to those who leave the sit-ins - widely seen as a first step toward dispersing the vigils on opposite sides of Cairo.           
       
But the protesters responded defiantly: "Over our dead bodies!"             

The standoff underscored the ongoing political crisis since the armed forces toppled Egypt's first democratically elected leader on July 3; thousands in the streets demanding Morsi's reinstatement, a government unable to exert its authority, and recurrent violence that has killed more than 260 people.            

International pressure grew for the interim government to release Morsi and create a process that includes his Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest political faction, which refuses to deal with the new authorities.                  

Human Rights Watch:               

An international human rights group warned Egypt's new interim leadership against ending sit-ins by loyalists of ousted president by force, saying all measures must be taken to avert a "bloodbath."             

The statement by Human Rights Watch came as Mohammed Morsi's followers called for new mass rallies across the country on Friday in defiance of a government order to disband.                
Nadim Houry from the New-York-based group said Egyptian authorities need to "avoid another bloodbath" and "ensure the ongoing right of protesters to assemble peacefully."                       

Egypt's military deposed Morsi on July 3, following days of demonstrations by millions who rallied against him and the rule of his Muslim Brotherhood.               

US Kerry:                    

US Secretary of State John Kerry said during an interview on Geo TV in Pakistan that the military in Egypt was "restoring democracy," adding that the US was very concerned about the more than 260 people killed during the ongoing political crisis.                 

Kerry said millions of people had asked the army to intervene because they were afraid Egypt would descend into violence.                 

He added he has been in touch with all of the main players in Egypt to voice his concern over the deadly crackdowns on street protests.               

Kerry said the US is working very hard with EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton and "other foreign ministers of other countries in order to try to see if we can resolve this peacefully. But the story of Egypt is not finished yet."               

William Burns:         

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns is to visit Egypt late on Friday, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said, with fears rising of an imminent security crackdown on supporters of the country's deposed Islamist president.                

The spokesman, Badr Abdelatty, said Burns would arrive on Friday evening and meet Egypt's interim foreign minister, Nabil Fahmy, on Saturday.              

He said it was not known whether Burns would also hold talks with army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the man who overthrow President Mohamed Mursi on July 3.   


REUTERS/AP