Egypt’s Muslim Brothers join talks

The Muslim Brothers, Egypt’s largest organised opposition group, met Omar Suleiman, the country’s vice-president, on Sunday, as the army-led authorities tried to encourage an end to protests and a return to work.

The Brotherhood had originally said it would not enter talks until Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s leader for more than 30 years, quit as president. But Rashad Bayoumi, deputy head of the outlawed political party, told the Financial Times on Sunday that the group had decided to meet Mr Suleiman “because we were given to understand that they are prepared to respond to all the demands of the uprising carried out by the youth.”

Also taking part in Sunday’s talks is a group of 11 prominent intellectuals and businessmen. The group, which includes businessman Naguib Sawiris as well as leading political analysts Amr el-Shobaky and Amr Hamzawi, has published a manifesto calling on Mr Mubarak to delegate responsibility for management of a transition to Mr Suleiman.

The manifesto also calls for the formation of a new government of independent and popular figures as well as technocrats launching investigations into the atrocities committed during the past days against protesters and the public.

The talks with opposition groups were taking place as Egypt’s businesses began to return to normal after a week of disruption. But reports of queues forming out side banks, which reopened on Sunday after a week of closures, highlight concerns about capital outflows.

The Egyptian pound weakened to E£5.928 against the dollar from its close of E£5.855 in trading on Sunday morning, the lowest level for six years, according to Bloomberg. The Egyptian stock exchange however was closed and will remain so until at least Tuesday, according to a stock exchange official. The bourse says that it will announce a new reopening date 48 hours in advance.

Mr Bayoumi said that the Brotherhood had six main demands: the removal of the regime with Mr Mubarak as its head; abolition of the emergency laws in place since 1981; the dissolution of parliament and shura advisory council; establishment of a democratic government; the release of all detainees arrested during the recent confrontations; and the putting on trial of those responsible for “the bloody massacre” of 300 protesters.

The talks between Mr Suleiman and the opposition groups have been eased by the resignation of the leadership of the ruling National Democratic Party, including the president’s son Gamal Mubarak, who quit “to reflect the changes in the country”.

The new secretary-general Hossam Badrawi, is seen as a member of the liberal wing of the party.

Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, has given her backing for Mr Suleiman to manage a peaceful transition of power in Cairo, stressing that Washington wants to see the move to a new political system achieved in as “orderly” a manner as possible.

“I think it’s important to support the transition process announced by the Egyptian government, actually headed now by vice-president Omar Suleiman,” said Mrs Clinton, who was at a security conference in Germany.

Mrs Clinton said the transition should happen “as orderly but as expeditiously as possible.” She said it should be “a transparent, inclusive process that sets forth concrete steps that people who are engaged in it, and looking at it, can believe is moving toward an outcome that will commit an orderly establishment of elections scheduled for September. That takes some time.”

Mrs Clinton’s comments are the strongest indication yet that the US is prepared to back Mr Suleiman, the head of Egypt’s intelligence services, as a transitional figure who can set out a road map to elections later this year.

However, Frank Wisner, US president Barack Obama’ s envoy to Egypt told the conference it was important that Mr Mubarak remained president during any transition.

“We need to get a national consensus around preconditions for the next step forward,” Mr Wisner said, speaking via video link from the US. “The president must stay in office to steer those changes.”

Whether this is acceptable to the thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators who continued to occupy Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Sunday remains to be seen.

Mrs Clinton said it was important to put the emphasis on an orderly transition because “there are forces at work in any society, particularly one that is facing these kind of challenges, that will try to derail or overtake the process to pursue their own agenda.”