CAIRO, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Prime Minister Hesham Qandil on Monday invited all Egyptians to focus on work, construction and production instead of constant demonstrations, while stressing peaceful protest is a guaranteed constitutional right for all Egyptians.
"Let's build the country together. This is an invitation for the Egyptian people and political parties. Let's massively gather for work and production to show the whole world that Egypt is safe and peaceful," Qandil said during a Monday meeting with media professionals.
The political scene will be stable in time, he said, noting that the government has set up "urgent plans" for economic recovery.
He also called on the people to support the country's police and preserve and correct them, "but not to pull down such a national apparatus."
Qandil's statement came after President Mohamed Morsi held a meeting with the Supreme Council of Police to discuss the security developments amid recent turmoil and clashes between the police and protesters.
A wave of public anger rose against the Egyptian police after TV local channels repeatedly aired Friday a video of policemen beating up and stripping a protester outside the presidential palace in Cairo.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said Saturday that he would apologize himself to the citizen, warning at the same time that " if the police collapses, Egypt will turn into a country of militants like some neighboring states."
On the other hand, the opposition Popular Current, led by leftist ex-presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy, bid farewell Monday to the bodies of two members who were injured Friday in clashes with the police and died Monday.
In a presidential statement issued on Friday, the presidency held political forces responsible for the clashes that erupted outside the presidential palace. "These violent, vandalistic acts have nothing to do with any legitimate political practices of peaceful expression of opinion," the statement said.
In response, the main opposition bloc, the National Salvation Front (NSF), denounced the recent incidents, criticizing Morsi and his interior minister and urging further protests to topple the country's leadership.
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