Steps in dealing with supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi will be "calculated and careful steps without lenience or indulgence," according to interim president Adly Mansour, during a speech on Wednesday evening marking the beginning of Eid al-Fitr. "We have given full opportunity for all diplomatic efforts to determine the realities of the situation in the current Egyptian scene," said Mansour, indicating that foreign diplomatic efforts to mediate the crisis had failed "despite the full support provided by the Egyptian government." "Egypt will always welcome efforts in this direction and highly values the positions in supporting the roadmap of the future and promoting democratic transition," said Mansour. "Some think that they are able to prevent history from moving or stop the wheel of time, or able to challenge your will in a promising and worthy future," said Mansour. "This will never happen." Mansour indicated that the transitional roadmap was underway with the announcement of the criteria of the assembly of 50, tasked with overseeing constitutional amendments. The Anti-Coup Alliance, a group supported by parties and movements calling of the return of Morsi, said that Mansour's speech was filled with "fallacies and lies in an unsuccessful attempt to beautify the ugly face of the July 3 coup d'état" in a statement following the address. "The statement referred to the end of diplomatic efforts," said the alliance. "We never asked for these efforts." The statement reiterated its condemnation of "bloody massacres" and its commitment to the reinstatement of "the elected president, the ratified constitution, and the elected parliament." "We accept the initiative announced by the legitimate president [Morsi] and welcome any political solutions on the basis of legality and constitutional legitimacy, not on the basis of the illegitimate traitorous putsch," read the statement. The Anti-Coup Alliance blamed the interim government of not respecting popular will and carrying out intimidation, repression, and threats of citizens. "The putcschists' statements carry a repeated...threat to break up the peaceful sit-ins by force," said the statement, which went on to hold coup "commanders and collaborators" responsible for any "new massacres and any lives that may be lost."
