Safe passage offered to Mursi supporters

Cairo (PTI): Egyptian authorities on Thursday asked thousands of supporters of ousted president Mohammed Mursi to end their sit-ins in the capital and offered "safe exit and complete protection" if they leave their protest camps, a call rejected outrightly by the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Egyptian interior ministry asked protesters to leave camps in Cairo set up by supporters of Mursi, 61, one day after the army-backed interim government ordered it to take action against them. Defying the warnings, thousands of supporters of the ousted president continued their sit-ins in the capital, Cairo. Authorities asked protesters at Rabea al-Adawya Mosque, Nasr City, Cairo, and Al-Nahda Square, in front of Cairo University, to end their sit-in and leave the squares.

In return, the Interior Ministry promised protesters a safe exit and not to be pursued. Speaking on state television, an Interior Ministry spokesman appealed to the protesters to "give priority to the interest of the homeland, to comply with the public interest and to quickly leave and evacuate." The ministry promised "safe exit and complete protection" to all who complied, said spokesman, Abdul-Laatef. But Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood and other loyalists rejected the offer, saying they have no option but to continue the month-long sit-ins.