Protesters block the October 6 bridge, Cairo’s key river crossing Cairo – Akram Ali A number of Egyptian human rights organisations and activist groups have demanded President Mohammed Morsi commence national dialogue talks with immediate effect, in an attempt to overcome the current crisis sweeping the country.Some groups meanwhile called on President Morsi to dismiss Prime Minister Hisham Kandil as well as Egypt’s chief public prosecutor.
Meanwhile, the National Salvation Front [NSF] refused to participate in talks, after Morsi called on all political blocs to come together in a speech from the presidential palace on Sunday, unless the President adhered to a series of conditions.
22 Egyptian organisations announced in a press statement their condemnation of ongoing violence on the streets, stressing that decisions made by the Egyptian President had not presented a viable roadmap out of the crisis.
Groups called for a series of recommendations, including cancelling the state of emergency in three provinces [Suez, Port Said and Ismailia] and excluding Kandil from government.
They also demanded Egypt’s Justice Minister mandate judges to investigate violent clashes taking place all over the country, including state officials' responses to them.
A number of revolutionary groups meanwhile condemned President Morsi’s decisions.
Founder of the April 6 Movement, Ahmed Maher, criticised the President’s slow response to events, warning of the serious repercussions that would follow if he continued to ignore the problem.
Maher highlighted a “lack of leadership” within the Morsi administration in recent months, which had contributed to the present crisis. The April 6 leader claimed the President had previously refused advice and ideas proposed during national dialogue sessions.
The April 6 Movement has ruled out the success of national dialogue talks. “The parties that participated in the first dialogue withdrew,” Maher said, “because the ruling party did not honour the commitments it took during those early sessions.”
The NSF meanwhile held President Morsi fully responsible for the ongoing bloodshed, also refusing to engage in cross-party talks.
Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy meanwhile announced he would not refuse to join national dialogue, “just useless dialogue,” he added.
Some Salafist elements have approved of President Morsi’s speech, urging others to join to overcome the current crisis.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Amed Aref said that the ruling group would not respond to attempts “aiming to provoke,” claiming the ruling Freedom and Justice Party [FJP] would continue working to achieve a state of calm in Egypt.