Government and opposition in Egypt embarked on negotiations
Almaty. February 7. Kazakhstan Today - The opposition leaders in Egypt including the Muslim Brotherhood embarked on negotiations to study constitutional reform, Kazakhstan Today reports.
As the veteran president regained some of the initiative lost during nearly a fortnight of street protests, the Brotherhood, Egypt's popular but banned opposition, dropped its opposition to talks, The Telegraph reported Sunday.
Tens of thousands of protesters again thronged Cairo's Tahrir Square, but for the first time there was serious tension with the army, whose role in tightening security in the city and in arresting activists has dashed hopes that it was turning against the regime.
Omar Suleiman, the vice-president overseeing talks for the regime, offered leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition parties a string of often vague concessions.
They included a promise to move towards releasing political prisoners, a pledge to take steps to guarantee press freedom and an offer to lift emergency laws, in place for decades but only when the security situation improves.
Talks between the Egyptian government and opposition groups on tackling the country's political crisis have failed to end protests in central Cairo.
Crowds of protesters, who have occupied the city's Tahrir Square for two weeks, say they will only leave when President Hosni Mubarak stands down.
The government offered a series of concessions at Sunday's talks, but the opposition said they were not enough.
Opposition groups met members of the government on Sunday to discuss how to resolve the stand-off which has paralysed the country and left some 300 people dead.
Vice-President Omar Suleiman hosted the talks. Six groups were represented, including a coalition of youth organisations, a group of "wise men" and the banned Muslim Brotherhood in its first ever meeting with the government.
According to the BBC, the Muslim Brotherhood said it would only take part in future talks if the government made progress on meeting its demands that Mr Mubarak resign, parliament be resolved, emergency laws lifted and all political prisoners released.
President Mubarak has so far refused to resign, saying that to do so would cause chaos. He has instead said he will not stand for re-election in September.
Tens of thousands again joined demonstrations in Cairo and other cities on Sunday, although the authorities have been attempting to restore a sense of normality to the capital.
The government is seeking to revive an economy said to be losing at least $310m (?192m) a day.
Many shops, factories and the stock exchange have been closed, and basic goods have been running short.
On Sunday banks in Cairo opened for the first time in a week, drawing long queues as people waited to withdraw money.
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