Coup general meets Morsi

Egypt’s Minister of Defence and Chief of the General Staff has met with the man he pushed out of office in a military coup. General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi visited Mohammed Morsi on Monday, media reports have claimed, and suggested a solution for the current deadlock in Egypt in return for Morsi telling his supporters to abandon their mass demonstrations.

According to TRT TV, Al-Sisi’s offer was to release all of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders who have been arrested since the coup and cancel the arrest warrants for those still at liberty. In return Morsi would be expected to make a public announcement that he is giving up the presidency. Apparently the army chief also promised to include Freedom and Justice Party members in the interim government.

“Mohammed Morsi refused the offer,” claimed TRT TV, “and told Al-Sisi that the problem today is not with Morsi or the Muslim Brotherhood leadership, but with a stolen revolution.”

Senior Muslim Brotherhood official Esam Al-Aryan told Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr early this week that the army has been trying to open a contact channel with them, but the requests have been refused. The army denied that there have been attempts to contact Muslim Brotherhood leaders and dismissed Al-Aryan’s remarks as part of a propaganda war.

Prominent Egyptians have apparently been asked by the army to mediate with the Brotherhood, including the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayyip, Salim al-Awa and other politicians. None of those named by the Muslim Brotherhood denied the mediation claims.