Egyptian President in Germany Despite Unrest at Home

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi arrived in Germany on Wednesday for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel after days of unrest in his country.

Morsi was greeted with military honours and the two leaders are due to hold a joint press conference at 1345 GMT.

The visit will focus on bilateral cooperation as well as the situation in Egypt, where almost a week of violence has left more than 50 people dead, Egypt's official news agency MENA said.

Morsi's trip -- his first to Germany, Europe's biggest economy, since his election in June -- had originally been expected to last two days but has been shortened.

France's presidency said on Tuesday that Morsi had postponed an official visit to Paris for later in the week.

MENA said he is to meet with business people as well as Merkel.

According to German media reports, the Egyptian leader has come to Berlin to seek debt relief as well as possible German investment to help the country's struggling economy.

Dozens of people protested in the rain outside the German chancellery against military and police violence in Egypt.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a leading figure in the opposition National Salvation Front, called Wednesday for urgent talks with Egypt's leadership to address the political crisis. Two days earlier the opposition rejected Morsi's call for dialogue.

Most of the deaths in recent days came in Port Said, where clashes erupted Saturday after a court issued death sentences against 21 supporters of a local football club for their role in deadly riots last year.

Egypt's military chief on Tuesday warned that the political crisis could lead to the collapse of the state.

Ahead of Morsi's arrival, Germany's foreign minister warned that German financial aid to Egypt is contingent upon democratic progress.

Berlin's offer of help "depends on advances in the democratic development in Egypt", Guido Westerwelle said on ARD public television.

"These last days we have seen some terrible pictures, images of violence and destruction," Westerwelle said, calling for dialogue between the Egyptian government and opposition.

A German government spokesman told a media conference that the talks between Merkel and Morsi would also cover relations between Egypt and Israel.

Morsi took over last year from an interim military administration in charge since the February 2011 overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country for three decades.