CAIRO

Egypt's Defense Minister and top military commander Abdel Fattah El Sisi fired back Wednesday at the defiant tone of country's President Mohammad Morsi who urged the military to withdraw an ultimatum, vowing to defend his "constitutional legitimacy" at all costs.

"The Armed Forces General Commander has said that it would be more honorable for us to die than to allow the Egyptian people to be terrorized or threatened, and we swear by Allah to shed our blood for Egypt and it's people against any terrorists, extremists or the ignorant," the military said in an early morning post on its official Facebook page.

"Long live Egypt and it's great people," it said.  

The military statement followed late-night televised remarks by Morsi who urged the military to withdraw a 48-hour ultimatum, saying he was ready to give his life to defend his constitutional legitimacy and reiterating insistence to serve his four-year term, which ends in June 2016, as Egypt's first democratically elected president.

-Morsi's speech-

Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi has asked the army to withdraw the 48-hour ultimatum it had issued for solving the political crisis in the country, his media office told the Anadolu Agency.

“President Morsi reiterates his commitment to constitutional legitimacy and rejects any attempt to undermine it," the office said.

"The president calls on the army leadership to withdraw its ultimatum and rejects any domestic or foreign dictations”.

The army on Monday set a 48-hour deadline for the presidency and the opposition to find a solution to the political crisis in Egypt.

The army said it would otherwise announce a roadmap for Egypt’s future and supervise its implementation.

In a televised address to the nation early on Wednesday, 

In a televised address to the nation early on Wednesday, Morsi reiterated unwavering commitment to his constitutional legitimacy, insisting he would never accept any decision or move by any authority, group or individual to undermine his legitimacy.

 "I am ready to defend my constitutional legitimacy to the death," he said.

Morsi said he had received an initiative from political parties to form a new national unity government, form a commission to work on constitutional amendments, speed up preparations for parliamentary elections and set up a committee for national reconciliation.

He added that the initiative had been conveyed to him through the government and the army, reaffirming his acceptance of the initiative.

The Egyptian president said the reaction of the opposition forces to the initiative was "negative".

"They refused the initiative," he said, adding that he remained open to implement the initiative if the opposition changed its position, and that he would not accept anything other than that.

Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to call for early presidential elections.

But supporters insist that Morsi, who was elected in June 2012, must complete his four-year term.

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