Cairo: Rebuffed by the main opposition bloc, Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi has signalled readiness to “personally contact” opposition leaders to break a violent political deadlock, reported a leading semi-official newspaper on Tuesday.
“During a session of the national dialogue, President Mursi renewed his invitation to the National Salvation Front to participate in the next session and expressed his readiness to contact all of its leaders,” Al Ahram quoted unidentified sources as saying.
Mursi, facing one of his worst crises since taking office in June, reportedly made the gesture on Monday night at reconciliation talks attended mostly by his Islamist allies, amid a boycott by the secular-minded opposition.
The National Salvation Front, the country’s key opposition alliance, stayed away from the talks, demanding the Islamist president first take responsibility for days of deadly violence in the country, suspending the newly-approved constitution and sacking a public prosecutor he appointed last November.
The bloc, who called for massive protests against Mursi and his group, the Muslim Brotherhood, also demands an Islamist-backed cabinet be replaced with a national unity government.
Mursi, Egypt’s first elected president, called for a “national dialogue” this week as the country sank deeper into street turmoil that erupted on Friday, which marked the second anniversary of a revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak.
According to Al Ahram, participants in the “national dialogue” talks agreed to create a committee to be tasked with specifying controversial articles in the new constitution to be presented for amendment to a yet-to-be elected legislature.
The opposition says the Islamist-drafted charter undermines fundamental rights and ignores women.
“I hope that some people will reconsider their positions and join us in confronting chaos and violence,” said Sa’ad Al Katani, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party.
“Our hands are stretched out to everyone,” he added in a tweet after Monday night’s talks.
The Brotherhood, Egypt’s most powerful group, has blamed the opposition for the current wave of violence in which at least 40 people have been killed.
Street battles continued between security forces and anti-Mursi protesters for the fifth day in a row near central Cairo’s Tahrir Square, which was the epicentre of the uprising against Mubarak.
Masked gunmen late Monday attacked and ransacked the Semiramis Hotel near the US embassy, said security sources.
Mursi on Sunday imposed a month-long state of emergency and a night-time curfew in the coastal provinces of Port Said, Suez and Esmailia, where the deadliest violence occurred. The measures, which give authorities sweeping powers to arrest and hold suspects, were frequent under Mubarak and sparked outrage in the three restive provinces.
Hundreds of local residents were shown on private TV stations on Monday night marching against the curfew in Port Said and Suez. “Down with Mursi and the Guide’s rule,” chanted angry marchers, referring to the Brotherhood’s spiritual leader.
The army, in charge of enforcing the curfew, was on Monday authorised under a bill, approved by the upper house of parliament, to arrest civilians. Proponents say the bill is necessary to curb spiralling rioting, as opponents warn it violates human rights.
