A senior Sufi leader on Tuesday denied any intent to cancel a million-strong protest scheduled for Friday by 57 political groups.
Sheikh Alaa Abul Azayem, a senior Sufi leader, said participating groups will release a statement stressing that the protest will be held in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
On Monday, Al-Ahram's news website reported that political forces taking part in the demonstration had decided instead to hold a national conference of various groups.
During a meeting the same day, Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Salmy failed to convince political powers to drop their plans for the demonstration.
After a press conference, Salmy urged representatives of the political groups to form a panel of revolutionary powers that can engage in dialogue with the government and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
Those who want to protest Friday are expected to call for a civil state. Meanwhile, organizers deny staging the demonstration in response to the 29 July Tahrir protest that was mostly dominated by Islamists.
"Egypt is a civil, democratic state, and we all support a modern state ruled by the law, in which citizenship, freedom and social justice prevail," Salmy said after the press conference.
He said that the government intends to issue a declaration of constitutional principles that harmonizes all ideas proposed by several institutions and political figures, including Al-Azhar, the National Council, and presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
