Backing Off Added Powers, Egypt's Leader Presses Vote  Share
with others:  Print Email Read Later     Taken together, the
announcements, rolled out over a confusing day, appeared to
indicate the president's determination to do whatever it takes
to get to the referendum, which his Islamist supporters say will
lay the foundation of a new democracy and a return to stability.
In recent days, mobs have attacked more than two dozen Muslim
Brotherhood offices and ransacked the group's headquarters, and
more than seven people have died in street fighting between
Islamists and their opponents.   The moves on Saturday offered
little hope of fully resolving the standoff, in part because
opposition leaders had ruled out -- even before his concessions
were announced -- any rushed attempt at a compromise just days
before the referendum.   Nor did Mr. Morsi's Islamist allies
expect his proposals to succeed. Many said they had concluded
that much of the secular opposition was primarily interested in
obstructing the transit