Egypt

Egypt’s Conservatives Party rejects Muslim Brotherhood’s participation in National Dialogue

Talaat Khalil, the secretary-general of Egypt’s Conservatives Party, announced in a statement on Friday that “the party supports all Egyptian political factions in rejecting the participation of the terrorist-designated Muslim Brotherhood in the National Dialogue that is expected to kick off this week.”

“The party’s statement comes in response to some press reports that claimed that Chairperson of the Conservatives Party Akmal Qortam requested that the Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian opposition figures living abroad attend the conference,” Khalil added.

“This is completely untrue, because the party’s ideology is against mixing religion with politics. We support a civil state based on liberalism, constitutional principles, the rule of law, and the multi-party system,” said Khalil.

The Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated TV channel ‘Mekamleen,’ which broadcasts from Turkey, quoted Qortam as saying last week that “Egypt needs the efforts of all political forces,” and that he does not mind “inviting the Muslim Brotherhood to the dialogue.”

Khalil went on to say that “the Conservatives Party’s Chairperson Akmal Qortam was quite clear during the interview with Mekamleen TV channel in saying that the party does not believe in mixing religion with politics and that the party does not have any agendas for reconciliation with political Islam movements that believe in mixing religion with politics such as the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Khalil also quoted Qortam as saying that “the Conservatives Party fully supports reconciliation with all forces that have no blood on their hands and opposition forces that work for the supreme interests of Egypt.”

The Conservatives Party, which was founded by oil business tycoon and former MP Akmal Qortam in 2006, has six seats in Egypt’s House of Representatives.

On 26 April, Egypt’s president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called for a national dialogue that should lead to setting the country’s political and economic priorities in the coming few years.

The president said all political and civilian forces should be invited to the dialogue without exclusion or discrimination.

Furthermore, Khalil said: “the Conservatives Party believes that President El-Sisi’s call for national dialogue comes at the time right to mobilise the efforts of all forces to set the country’s priorities for the coming stage.”

“This dialogue is a very important step, and all should contribute to its debates in order to help the country weather global crises and create a climate of political openness.”