STORY SUMMARY

The appointment of liberal Egyptian politician Mohamed ElBaradei as interim prime minister hit a snag on Saturday, as the army-backed transitional authorities were under pressure to restore order after deadly Islamist protests.

The Nour Party, Egypt’s second biggest Islamist force, said it opposed ElBaradei and threatened to withdraw its support for the military-backed overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday, which was the trigger for the bloody unrest.

Raising the risk of further clashes, Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood, the dominant Islamist force in the Arab world’s most populous nation, called for more protests on Sunday.

At least 35 people died in violence on Friday and Saturday, as pro- and anti-Mursi demonstrators fought running street battles in Cairo, Alexandria and beyond in violence that Egypt’s powerful army was barely able to contain.

Tens of thousands of Brotherhood supporters took to the streets to protest against what they called a military coup, and clashes between them, security forces and anti-Mursi protesters left more than 30 people dead.

President Barack Obama condemned the violence in Egypt on Saturday and said the United States was not working with any particular Egyptian political party or group.

In one of the first outbreaks of violence on Friday, three protesters were shot dead outside the Republican Guard compound where Mursi is being held, security sources said

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jul-06/222765-26-killed-in-clashes-as-egypt-islamists-protest-army-coup.ashx#ixzz2YO28CCKd
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)