Egyptian Foreign Minister has warned that the army would "intervene to control the country", which enters its 17th day of protests against President Hosni Mubarak.

"We must preserve the constitution even if it is amended, because that will protect the country from an attempt by some adventurers to take power and supervise the transition process," Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said, the New York Times reported.

His statement reiterated the earlier warning of Vice Preident Omar Suleiman that the alternatives for the demonstrators demanding Mubarak's ouster are either dialogue with the authorities, or "a coup".

"We would find the armed forces forced to defend the constitution and Egyptian national security and we would find ourselves in an extremely serious situation," Aboul Gheit said.

The army has not yet intervened against the protesters who have occupied Cairo's Tahrir Square for 17 days. However, tanks and reinforcements have been deployed across the city, setting up a narrow access to the square.

On Thursday, Aboul Gheit also rejected US demands to speed up the process of political reforms. He said Washington should not "impose" its will on "a great country".

The warnings, however, do not seem to affect demonstrators, as they prepare for their largest rally so far on Friday. They have vowed to keep protesting until Mubarak steps down from his 30-year rule.

Meanwhile, thousands of Egyptian workers went on strike Thursday to demand better compensation, adding pressure on Mubarak.Workers in various sectors launched strikes nationwide, including employees in the petroleum, railway and telecommunication industries.

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