Western, Arab envoys meet key Muslim Brotherhood leader in Egypt

Representatives of UAE, Qatar, US and EU visit organization’s second-in-command Khairat El-Shatar in prison in effort to end deadlock

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi pray outside Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque, where supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi have installed a camp and hold daily rallies at Nasr City, in Cairo, Egypt, late Tuesday, July 30, 2013 (photo credit: AP/Hassan Ammar)
Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi pray outside Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque, where supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi have installed a camp and hold daily rallies at Nasr City, in Cairo, Egypt, late Tuesday, July 30, 2013 (photo credit: AP/Hassan Ammar)

Western and Arab envoys met early Monday with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Khairat El-Shatar in the prison where he is being held in Egypt, the state’s news agency reported.

The US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns was part of the delegation which had attempted to present the Islamist leader with an initiative to break the political deadlock in order to end the violence that has plagued the country since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi last month. The former president has been held incommunicado by the army ever since.

More than a month since the ouster, thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters remain camped out in three key locations in and around Cairo demanding Morsi’s reinstatement. Egypt’s military-backed interim leadership has issued a string of warnings for them to disperse or security forces will move in, setting the stage for a potential showdown.

The Western-Arab initiative reportedly calls for the replacement of Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi, whom Brotherhood supporters accuse of bias, with a premier that is viewed as more independent and objective, Egypt’s Ahram Online reported.

Image capture of Khairat Shater from an interview on Egyptian television.
Image capture of Khairat Shater from an interview on Egyptian television.

Also proposed is the formation of a new cabinet which would include three Muslim Brotherhood ministers and two Salafist ministers, as well as the inclusion of Islamists in the committee tasked with drafting amendments to the constitution — passed in 2012 with a strong Islamist slant — which was frozen shortly after the ouster.

The initiative has reportedly been discussed with senior government officials and is negotiable.

The Muslim Brotherhood would have to agree to disperse the sit-ins and return to the political process, a move it has refused to make so far.

AP contributed to this report.

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