In the NFS absence, Morsi presided a national dialogue late Monday that gathered a number of conservative and moderate Islamists, Salafists as well as liberal political figures, during which they agreed to form a committee to amend the controversial articles of the constitution in response to opposition demands.
While the move was commended by some political observers and opposition figures, it was deemed by some others as a more tactical than earnest attempt to contain the crisis.
The protests across Egypt since Jan. 25 killed dozens and injured over 1,000. The turmoil urged Morsi to impose a 30-day curfew and a state of emergency in the riot-hit governorates of Port Said, Suez and Ismailia.
After Monday's dialogue, Morsi compromised to limit or even lift the curfew imposed on the three governorates based on the progress of their security conditions.
The opposition argues that the presidency's rejection of immediate formation of a new government and the lack of clear agenda and concrete guarantees for implementation of dialogue results were main reasons for dissatisfaction.
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