Mohammed Morsi moves to end Egyptian protests

Mohammed Morsi was said to be 'very optimistic' on Monday about reaching a deal to resolve Egypt's constitutional crisis, even as protesters said they would occupy Cairo's Tahrir Square until he relinquished sweeping new powers.

Morsi began negotiations with the country's senior judges in an effort to defuse the stand-off. "President Morsi is very optimistic that Egyptians will overcome this challenge as they have overcome other challenges," the presidential spokesperson, Yasser Ali, said.

Another major demonstration against Morsi was scheduled in Tahrir Square today.

"Our decision is to continue in the square. We will not leave before this declaration [of powers] is brought down," said Hamdeen Sabahy, an opposition politician.

He added that Tahrir Square would be a model of an "Egypt that will not accept a new dictator because it brought down the old one."

Mourners took to the streets in Cairo and the northern city of Dumanhoor for the funerals of protesters killed in the violent backlash against Morsi's power grab, which put his decisions beyond legal challenge and effectively made him more powerful than President Hosni Mubarak before he was toppled.

Police allowed thousands of mourners to pass through Tahrir Square for the funeral of Gaber Salah, 16, who was killed in confrontations with security forces.

Morsi's office said he had ordered the country's head prosecutor to investigate the deaths.