WASHINGTON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Wednesday urged all parties in Egypt to refrain from violence as two people were killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.
"Peaceful demonstrations should be allowed, but that people should not resort to violence," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said at a regular press briefing.
"We urge all parties to refrain from violence and to express their views peacefully," he added. "And political leaders have the responsibility of taking steps to ensure that groups do not resort to violence."
Deadly clashes left two people dead and over 230 others injured, four of them in serious condition, earlier in the day in Egypt's Delta city of Mansoura, just hours before Morsi was to address the nation.
Meanwhile, hundreds had flocked to the Tahrir square in downtown Cairo, the center of the massive demonstrations that ousted then President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, in preparation for sit-ins. The protesters were mainly from the "Rebel" campaign, which has collected more than 15 million signatures against Morsi.
Massive demonstrations set to be held on Sunday, the first anniversary of Morsi's rule, aim to force out the president and call for an early election due to what opponents called his "poor performance."
Egypt's defense minister had said the army would intervene to prevent the country from sliding into a dark tunnel of conflicts.
"President Morsi, as Egypt's first democratically elected leader, has a special responsibility to reach out to all political groups and try to build consensus through compromise," Ventrell said.
He voiced continuing U.S. support for the ongoing transition in Egypt.
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