Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is ready for reconciliation talks with the interim government

Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo
(Image: Business Insider)

Egypt’s pro-Morsy coalition Alliance for Support of Legitimacy backed by Muslim Brotherhood has issued an official statement on Saturday, 16 November, calling for the reconciliation dialogue with Egypt’s current interim government and with all political forces as well.

Pro-Morsy coalition has been refusing during long time the legitimacy of the interim government and all the decision made following the ouster of Mohamed Morsy whom they considered being Egypt’s legitimate President. The Army’s decree ousting Mohamed Morsy on 3 July has being called as “military coup” by the members and supporters of the Alliance, and massive marches and protests actions have been held demanding reinstatement of Mohamed Morsy as President.

Though the organization has changed its decision issuing the statement which indicated an important internal shift inside of the group and some significant changes of the group’s policies as well.

An official statement of the Alliance calls for the national reconciliation talks with Egyptian interim government, armed forces and all political forces represented on the political arena of the country in attempt to find the consensus and to resolve the deepening political crisis in the country. The talks should be held with the wide participation of different political forces and parties and with respect to “political plurality”, adds the statement.

Though Alliance for Support of Legitimacy also states the dialogue is impossible until the “arrests, bloodshed and hateful speech ends” referring to the massive crackdown of the Muslim Brotherhood and the following court’s decision banning the group and all its activities.

In addition to that the calls for the reconciliation talks have been made by Muslim Brotherhood and Alliance without the usual preconditions, such as demands of the reinstatement of Mohamed Morsy as Egypt’s legitimate President, returning of the recently dissolved Shura Council (Egypt’s Upper House of Parliament) and bringing back the 2012 Constitution which was suspended after Morsy’s ouster and is being currently amended by the 50-member Constitutional Committee.

Though the Alliance still refuses to recognize the procedure of Morsy’s ouster as legitimate and consider it being a “military coup” and they also demand the current interim government to be dissolved.

The group also urges to hold a national referendum on the most important political issues such as the Constitution, reforming of key state’s institutions and the details of the political roadmap introduced by the military as well.

Alliance for Support of Legitimacy also calls to stop the arrests of the Muslim Brotherhood’s members and to respect people’s right on the peaceful protests and demonstrations as well.

As for the current government of Egypt, it is ready for the reconciliation talks with the Alliance and Muslim Brotherhood, but under one condition: the group and the Islamists should recognize the legitimacy of the Morsy’s ouster and to accept the political roadmap implemented after Morsy was deposed, according to the statement of Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity Ahmed El-Borei.