El-Erian calls on the coup leaders to recognize their 'mistakes'

Essam El-Erian, the Vice Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party and a leader of the Alliance to Support Legitimacy, has urged Egypt’s coup leaders to recognize their mistakes in order to start serious political dialogue on the basis of the original roadmap proposed by Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi.

In a video broadcasted by Al-Jazeera Live Egypt channel, in his sixth media appearance this month, El-Erian said: “We are in dire need to respect the values of dialogue, understanding, tolerance and political work, and to lay the foundations of democracy in Egypt. The starting point to overcome this crisis that is destroying Egypt’s economy and which has torn our social fabric is when the coup leaders confess to their mistake of siding with one faction against another and thus abandoning democracy. Only then can dialogue begin; when we restore our confidence in each other, withdraw the coup’s unlawful rules, release all political detainees and prosecute those who committed or incited to kill peaceful protestors, even if we have to do so through extraordinary and revolutionary courts. The legitimate President Mohammed Morsi shall return to assume his post and the legitimacy that has been violated shall be restored in order to complete the roadmap he had announced during his last speech”.

El-Erian pointed out that, “the only difference between Morsi’s roadmap and General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s roadmap is that Al-Sisi’s roadmap isolated the legitimate president, appointing a new one in his place and halting the constitution. But apart from that, Al-Sisi’s roadmap is identical to the President’s words”.

El-Erian also said that, “the coup leaders are afraid of Morsi standing before the court because he will refute Al-Sisi’s and his associates’ claims.”

El-Erian demanded the dissolution of the coup and the release of political detainees, stressing that: “the police will never sow fear in the hearts of the Egyptians, who will continue to demonstrate in support of legitimacy across the Egyptian cities”.

He also asserted that Egypt’s Muslims and Christians will defend legitimacy in order to “build a free sovereign nation”, pointing out that Egypt must be “a leader in the region and not a humiliated follower of those kind enough to donate a few billion dollars to support its people”.

During his speech El-Erian spoke of his regret over the incidents that his home village Nahia has witnessed as well as Kerdasa and Delga. He also expressed his sadness for Sinai and condemned the Egyptian army and police for killing their Egyptian brothers.