Islamic Groups Willing to Make Deal with Egyptian Government
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ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images(CAIRO) — With Egypt’s powerful military-backed government refusing to budge an inch, two Islamist groups made overtures Monday to bring some normalcy to the country after nearly two months of civil unrest.
One-time militant organizations Gamaa Islamiya and Islamic Jihad have indicated that if the interim government does not crack down on them, they’d be willing to end the street protests that have come close to paralyzing Egypt.
The offer is seen as an effort to help broker a peace deal between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood, whose leaders have been systematically arrested since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi last July 3.
The Brotherhood has also suggested that it would be open to talks with the new government, provided there are investigations into the deaths of protesters since Morsi was removed from power.
So far, there has been no response to the offers from interim President Adly Mansour or Egyptian Defense Minister General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
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