CAIRO­ — Millions of demonstrators continued their sit-ins across Egypt on Tuesday [July 2] for the third consecutive day of what is said to be the biggest protest in the history of the volatile nation. Hundreds of thousands surrounded President Mohammed Morsi’s main presidential palaces in eastern Cairo and spray-painted “Game Over” on the gates of the Qubba Palace, where he relocated on Sunday [June 30].

Earlier on Tuesday, a statement by the White House announced the details of US President Barack Obama’s phone conversation with Egypt’s first freely elected president, Mohammed Morsi. Obama’s remarks were made a few hours after Egypt’s military threatened to intervene and impose a roadmap for the country’s immediate future if the public’s demands weren’t met by Wednesday afternoon.

“President [Obama] told President Morsi that the United States is committed to the democratic process in Egypt and does not support any single party or group,” the White House statement said, “He stressed that democracy is about more than elections; it is also about ensuring that the voices of all Egyptians are heard and represented by their government, including the many Egyptians demonstrating throughout the country.”

“President Obama encouraged President Morsi to take steps to show that he is responsive to their concerns, and underscored that the current crisis can only be resolved through a political process. As he has said since the revolution, President Obama reiterated that only Egyptians can make the decisions that will determine their future.”