EGYPT/FILE: Amr Moussa, former Egyptian Foreign Minister and presidential candidate, says the Egyptian constitution allows the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement to participate in future political life so long as they change their behaviour

Record ID: 836819

  • Title: EGYPT/FILE: Amr Moussa, former Egyptian Foreign Minister and presidential candidate, says the Egyptian constitution allows the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement to participate in future political life so long as they change their behaviour
  • Date: 11th March 2014
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (MARCH 11, 2014) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, AMR MOUSSA, SAYING: "They have to play by the rules. The taxi driver, the man in the street, myself, any other citizen, are calling on them to do that, to respect the law, respect the society. But if they continue as what they were doing of course none of us will accept them, none
  • Embargoed: 26th March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
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  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8XQNVLN0H40Y64MIVY8OV0KU7
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  • Story Text: Egyptian leaders should leave the door open for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to re-enter politics if the group accepts the constitution, former foreign minister and presidential candidate Amr Moussa said on Tuesday (March 11) in a rare call for reconciliation.
    Moderation has not exactly been in style in Egyptian politics since army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted president Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July after mass protests against his rule.
    Egypt's most organised political group has been devastated by a security crackdown. Hundreds have been killed in the street and thousands arrested. Egyptian authorities have declared the Brotherhood a terrorist group and put its leaders on trial.
    Veteran politician Moussa has thrown his weight behind Sisi, who is expected to announce his candidacy for the presidency in a few days and easily win elections due within months.
    As head of the body that rewrote Egypt's constitution, Moussa believes democracy includes roles for Brotherhood supporters, providing they peacefully abide by the new document approved by over 90 percent of voters in January. Many Islamists boycotted the referendum.

    "I see the future emanating from one fact; that this constitution did not exclude any citizen, any group, any current, political or any kind from full enjoyment of rights; contrary to what the constitution adopted under the Muslim Brotherhood has stipulated, they excluded so many members of the previous regime to them," said Moussa.
    The Brotherhood, largely driven underground, has survived repression under one Egyptian autocratic after another, relying on a vast network of social services to win grassroots support.
    With a membership estimated at close to one million, they are not expected to go away and some analysts fear some could turn to violence against the state if they remain sidelined.

    "They have to play by the rules. The taxi driver, the man in the street, myself, any other citizen, are calling on them to do that, to respect the law, respect the society. But if they continue as what they were doing of course none of us will accept them, none of us will vote for them. They have to change. And the major element for change is to play by the rules. Respect the law, respect the constitution, respect the country, act as Egyptians, not as a people who are thinking of strange political ideas that the Egyptian society does not believe in and has rejected fundamentally," Moussa said.
    The Brotherhood, which won the vast majority of elections since a popular uprising toppled president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, has said it was a victim of a coup and refuses to do business with the army-backed government.
    The image of Sisi in his dark sunglasses is everywhere - on t-shirts, posters, even chocolates - which suggests many Egyptians believe he is a decisive figure who could deliver stability after years of upheaval since Mubarak's fall.
    Moussa served under Mubarak as Egypt's foreign minister for 10 years and headed the Arab League. He refused to be drawn on speculation that he could serve as prime minister under Sisi.
    Moussa said he was confident that Sisi could lead the most populous Arab nation, a strategic U.S. ally, out of uncertainty.

    "In those discussions I was convinced that he is really in the full picture of the problems of the country and what should be done. That's why I am supporting him because I am convinced that he can do the job, and the job is to rebuild this country, to lead a viable process to rebuild the country that is indeed suffering of a lot of problems and a lot of files that have been abandoned or very badly followed," he said.
    But he was under no illusions that it would be an easy task. The economy is struggling, political tensions remain high and a fast-growing Islamist insurgency is raging in the Sinai.
    Gulf Arab states who support Mursi's ouster have showered Egypt with billions of dollars in aid, easing pressure on fragile state finances and shrunk foreign reserves.
    Egypt's dependence on such aid is not healthy, Moussa said, although he expected "Arab solidarity" to continue.
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