(DNE/ Hassan Ibrahim)
The National Salvation Front (NSF) has set four main conditions for participating in the upcoming presidency-sponsored national dialogue sessions.
The NSF issued a statement stating the four conditions, which are: Determining the groups participating in the dialogue sessions before it takes place; determining the session agenda in advance and focusing on the constitution and the current economic crisis; and broadcasting the dialogue sessions on television.
The NSF’s also demands a guarantee that the government would implement the agreements reached during the sessions.
The NSF, seen as the leading opposition bloc in the state, boycotted the previous six national dialogue sessions.
The previous sessions were mainly attended by figures from Al-Wasat Islamist Party, and the Freedom and Justice Party, in addition to some other Islamist figures such as Salim El-Awwa, former presidential candidate and President Morsy’s assistant. The next session will be held on 9 January.
Abdel Ghafar Shokr, leading figure at the NSF, said the government is accusing NSF of obstinacy and refusal to engage in dialogue. He said that most of the front’s leading figures had in fact already met Morsy before, when they submitted their demands: “The president ignored the demands of the national forces and issued his constitutional declaration, which forced us to form the NSF and reject any sort of unbalanced dialogue.”
Shokr said the NSF has sent complaints and suggestions concerning the new parliamentary elections’ law to the presidency, adding that the it doesn’t seem to be considering them: “For that reason, we issued a statement explaining that we are not opposing dialogue, but so far what is happening cannot be considered as real dialogue.
“What is being proposed is say what you want and we will do what we want.”
