Morsi plans to approach oppn, youth groups in hope of ending turmoil

Cairo: Embattled Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is planning to reach out to the country’s main opposition bloc and youth groups to control widespread political turmoil and discontent plaguing the nation. Morsi plans to dispatch two of his aides to open talks with the opposition National Salvation Front (NSF) umbrella group and political youth movements in hopes of resolving Egypt’s current political impasse, a presidential source told the Ahram Online. [caption id=“attachment_656198” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mohammed Morsi. AP[/caption] According to the source, one presidential aide will be tasked with meeting NSF leaders in an effort to convince the latter to enter ’national dialogue’ talks. The NSF has until now refused to enter into dialogue until the presidency meets a series of preconditions. These include the replacement of the current government, the dismissal of the Morsi-appointed prosecutor-general, and the launch of credible investigations into recent political violence. Meanwhile, Morsi plans to send a second aide to meet with a number of political youth groups with the aim of setting a timetable for holding meetings with the presidency. “The president is adamant about resolving the current national divide,” the source asserted. Morsi “doesn’t mind” appointing a new cabinet, the same source said, as long as it “enjoys consensus” and receives guarantees from the opposition that the current political situation would stabilise once new ministers were sworn in. “The president fears that if he replaces the cabinet, the new one, too, will face unreasonable pressures (by the opposition),” the source said. Meanwhile, ongoing political tensions have thrown Egypt’s second post-revolution parliamentary polls - which the NSF has vowed to boycott - into doubt. Elections were initially slated for 22 April, but it remains unclear if they will be held on schedule. Last week, an administrative court suspended the presidential decree calling for the polls, based on doubts over the constitutionality of recently-amended laws governing parliamentary polls. PTI