A Muslim Brotherhood delegation will visit today the headquarters of the leftist Tagammu Party for discussions about future coordination of political activities.
Hussein Abdel Razeq, a Tagammu Party leader, said the meeting is being held at the request of the Brotherhood, which expressed a desire to bring the two parties’ viewpoints closer together. He added however that the Brotherhood didn’t specify what topics they would like to address.
The Tagammu Party is seeking dialogue with any of the political forces working towards change, Razeq added.
"The party intends to comment on whatever ideas the Brotherhood brings forth," Abdel Razeq said, "because the Brotherhood discriminates against women and Copts, which goes against the beliefs of the Tagammu Party."
He added that if the Brotherhood abandons such discriminatory ideas there will be more room for agreement between the two sides.
Mohamed Saad el-Katatni, a member of the Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau and its media spokesperson, said the group’s political office believes it is important to hold a dialogue with all political forces in Egypt, with a view to establishing genuine democratic values.
Their objective, he added, is to hold free and fair elections, to secure constitutional amendments and to abolish the state of emergency, emphasizing that this meeting is the first step towards improved communication and coordination with other groups.
Relations between the two groups have been historically tense, if not hostile. Tagammu’s long time leader Refaat el-Said had repeatedly lashed out against the Brothers, accusing them of "fascism and aiding terrorism."
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
