4 killed in continued Egyptian violence, as interim leader calls for reconciliation

CAIRO. Continued clashes between supporters and opponents of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi killed at least four people, while interim leader Adli Mansour called for reconciliation among all Egyptians and a new beginning to the country’s future.“In Tahrir Square in Cairo, one was killed and 26 were injured in clashes,” Mohamed Sultan, head of Egypt’s Ambulance Authority, told Xinhua.Protesters from both sides exchanged rocks and birdshots, while gunshots were also heard in the area, according to official MENA news agency.Security forces have deployed armoured vehicles and more central security personnel in neighboring areas of the U.S. embassy to prevent pro-Morsi protesters from reaching it. They also fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.In Qalyubiya governorate near Cairo, two people were killed and four others wounded in clashes after Morsi’s loyalists blocked the main roads there, said Qalyubiya security chief Mahmoud Yousri.Yousri said another man in Qalyubiya was hit by a train when fleeing the bloody clashes and suffered serious fractures, and reportedly died later in hospital.In Damietta governorate, at least four people were injured in clashes between the rival factions when Morsi’s supporters attempted to occupy a well-known square for sit-in and crippled the traffic by burning tires.Hundreds of women also staged a march in Delta city of el-Mahalla el-Koubra in Gharbiya governorate to support the military’s roadmap for the transitional period.Morsi was ousted by the army on July 3 after he failed to respond positively to millions of protesters who asked for his stepping down due to his maladministration since he was elected a year ago.Since then, Morsi was kept in an unknown place. While some local media said he was detained in the military’s Republican Guards for security reasons, the authorities kept saying he “is in a safe place” and “well treated.”On Monday, Usama, the deposed president’s son, said his family last got the chance to contact with Morsi on July 3, and that they would resort to the International Criminal Court and rights groups to investigate Morsi’s “abduction.”As nationwide violence drags on and Morsi’s whereabouts remains unclear, interim President Mansour, in a televised speech Monday evening, called for national reconciliation. “We want to open a new page, free of prejudice, hatred and division,” he said.“It’s time for establishing a nation based on reconciliation with the past for the sake of the future,” he said on the occasion of the national celebration of July 23, 1952 Revolution that marked the end of royal rule in Egypt and turned the country into a republic.“We need no hatred, violence or distortion ... We are on our path to achieve freedom and justice,” he said.