Egypt's main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, said on Tuesday it would "not support a military coup" and trusted that an army statement giving political leaders 48 hours to resolve the current crisis did not mean it would assume a political role.

"The NSF has been committed, since its formation on Nov 22, 2012, to build a civil, modern and democratic state that allows the participation of all political trends, including political Islam. We trust the army's declaration, reflected in their statement (on Monday), that they don't want to get involved in politics, or play a political role," it said in a statement.

The coalition insisted that the demand for President Mohammed Morsi to step down does not violate democratic principles but is an attempt to bring the 2011 revolt that toppled then-president Hosni Mubarak back on track.

"Asking Morsi to resign is not against democratic procedures. ... None of the revolution's demands were met, Morsi and the (Muslim Brotherhood) took the country in another direction that mainly reflected their desire to dominate the state, and did not build a democracy, or manage to improve the living standards of Egyptians and provide their basic needs," the NSF said.

Meanwhile, Morsi said on Tuesday that an earlier statement by the defense minister may have caused confusion and vowed to continue a plan based on national reconciliation to resolve the ongoing political crisis.

"Some implications of the speech's phrases may add confusion to the already complicated scene," Morsi said in a statement in reference to Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi's ultimatum-like speech urging all parties to end their conflict within 48 hours.

The presidency stressed that it would "continue its own plan for comprehensive national reconciliation regardless of any announcement that may deepen division among fellow citizens and undermine social peace".

In a separate development, US President Barack Obama called Morsi to warn him that the voices of all Egyptians must be heard as a political crisis escalates, the White House said on Tuesday.

Obama placed the call from Tanzania, on the final stop of his African tour, and told him Washington was committed to "the democratic process in Egypt and does not support any single party or group", the official said.

"He stressed that democracy is about more than elections; it is also about ensuring that the voices of all Egyptians are heard and represented by their government, including the many Egyptians demonstrating throughout the country," the White House said.

AFP - Xinhua

(China Daily 07/03/2013 page11)