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Cairo, 26 Nov - (ANA) - Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi is due to meet senior judges to try to ease a crisis over the extent of his powers. A decree giving him sweeping new powers was announced on Thursday, sparking violent nationwide protests and leading to a 9% drop in Egypt's stock market. Mr Mursi said yesterday the decree was temporary and not intended to concentrate power in his hands. He was committed to finding "common ground" with other parties, he said. He also hoped to reach consensus on a new constitution currently being drafted, he added, and the decree was intended to prevent democratically elected bodies from being undermined. The Judges' Club, which represents judges throughout the country, called for a nationwide strike to protest against the decree over the weekend. The journalists' union also rejected the president's decree and threatened to go on strike. But the top judicial body, the Supreme Judicial Council, appeared not to reject the decree outright, saying it should only apply to "sovereign matters", and urged judges to return to work. Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky has begun efforts to mediate between the president and the judges. The minister said he himself had some reservations about the president's decree, Reuters reported. The president is due to meet members of the Supreme Judicial Council later to discuss the decree, reports said. Several prominent opposition leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed elBaradei, have said they will not engage in dialogue with the president until he rescinds the measure, known as the constitutional declaration. (ANA)