Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood begins dialogue with gov't
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Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman Sunday held talks with representatives of political parties including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and the protesters, a step to establish a national dialogue and ease the unrest in Egypt that entered its 13th day.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the Wafd party, Tagammu, members of a committee chosen by youth groups, as well as independent political and business figures, attended the meeting.
The opposition groups were also joined by the supporters of the National Coalition for Change led by Mohamed ElBaradei, who was active in the massive demonstrations.
Government spokesman Magdi Radi said after the meeting that they agreed on "the formation of a committee, which will include the judiciary and a number of political figures, to study and propose constitutional amendments and required legislative amendments, before the first week of March."
The meeting, which included most but not all of the groups involved in the 13 days of protests calling for the oust of the president, agreed that the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak should not run for another term after September 2011, ensuring a peaceful transition with free and fair elections.
A statement published after the committee's meeting stressed the importance of correcting the parliamentary elections results based on the court's rulings.
The group said they agreed on the formation of a committee to deal with complaints about political prisoners and issues such as lifting restriction on media and lifting the country's controversial emergency state according to the security situation.
The committee also agreed that none of the groups wanted any foreign interference in Egyptian affairs.
Suleiman invited the opposition groups for dialogue last week, telling the Muslim Brotherhood it was a valuable opportunity.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she supported the Muslim Brotherhood's attendance but would wait and see how the dialogue proceeds.
The Muslim Brotherhood, who refused the invitation earlier, said they decided to join the negotiations as they are eager to ensure that people's demands are met and to respect the sacrifices made by the young people.
"We decided to take part in a round of negotiations in order to test the official's seriousness about people's demands and their interests to respond," said the group's supreme guide Mohamed Badie in a statement on Sunday.
The move of Muslim Brotherhood to join negotiations came only a day after the top executive board of the ruling National Democratic Party resigned en masse, including the president's son Gamal Mubarak. Hossam Badrawi, a prominent physician and political figure was named as the new secretary general.
Meanwhile, life in Cairo streets began to return normal except at central Cairo's Tahrir square, which remains packed after a long standstill week as chaos took place around the capital. As a limited number of banks reopened on Sunday, long queues were lined up outside the banks in downtown and other neighborhood. Moreover, traffic went back to normal as more people started to use public transportation.
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