Morsi offers few concessions amid unrest ~ GLOBAL NEWS

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi addressed the nation on Thursday night amidst ongoing unrest, and while he called for dialogue and offered sympathy for the deaths of the protesters, he offered few concessions to an increasingly angry opposition.

The unrest began after Morsi issued a decree on November 22 granting him wide-ranging powers which are not subject to judicial review.

Protests reached a peak on Wednesday, when seven died and more than 770 injured during hours of clashes outside the presidential palace.

Supporters of the president attacked a group of opposition protesters staging a peaceful sit-in outside the palace, using firebombs, clubs and guns, according to witnesses.

In his speech, Morsi called the violence "regrettable," and blamed it on "infiltrators" funded by unnamed third parties.

"Such painful events happened because of political differences that should be resolved through dialogue," he said.

'People can have their say'

But the president offered few meaningful concessions.

The opposition has called on Morsi to delay a constitutional referendum planned for December 15, and to revoke his decree. Morsi did say he "would not insist" on keeping the most controversial provision, article 6, which shields his decisions from review.

Morsi also invited the opposition to what he called a "comprehensive and productive dialogue" on Saturday.

But he said the referendum would proceed as planned, so that "people can have their say."

"Let them vote yes or no," said Morsi.

The president said he will supervise the formation of a new constituent assembly if the draft is rejected. Critics say the 100-member panel that drafted the document was dominated by Islamists and unrepresentative of Egyptian society; nearly two dozen members, including liberals and representatives of the Coptic Church, have resigned over the last few weeks.

Despite the opposition, though, the draft is widely expected to be approved. It has the support of the Muslim Brotherhood, by far the best-organised political force in Egypt, and several other Islamist factions as well.

'They took advantage'

Leading opposition figures, including Mohamed ElBaradei, Hamdeen Sabbahi and Amr Moussa, blamed Morsi for the deaths, which many witnesses said began after protesters loyal to the president charged the opposition.

Morsi insisted that the violence was caused by a minority of protesters who received "black money" and weapons from unnamed parties. "They took advantage of the situation," he said.

Senior officials from the Muslim Brotherhood have argued for weeks that members of former president Hosni Mubarak's regime have been trying to overthrow Morsi - though none have been able to describe any specific plots.

The unrest has turned into the worst political crisis of Morsi's five-month-old tenure. Protesters have camped out for days outside his palace, and in Cairo's Tahrir Square; activists are planning a major protest on Friday.

Seven of Morsi's senior advisers have resigned in the past two weeks, including four since Wednesday's violence.

His speech prompted immediate angry reactions from protesters in Tahrir and elsewhere, who yelled "leave!" and chanted other anti-Morsi slogans, according to witnesses.