Egypt's regime makes new concessions to opposition

February 06, 2011 02:23 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 03:50 am IST - CAIRO

An Egyptian anti-government demonstrator waves national flags as thousands gather in Tahrir Square, the centre of anti-government demonstrations, in Cairo, on Sunday.

An Egyptian anti-government demonstrator waves national flags as thousands gather in Tahrir Square, the centre of anti-government demonstrations, in Cairo, on Sunday.

Egypt’s Vice-President met a wide representation of major opposition groups for the first time on Sunday and agreed to allow freedom of the press, to release those detained since anti-government protests began nearly two weeks and ago and to lift the country’s hated emergency laws when security permits.

Vice-President Omar Suleiman endorsed a plan with the opposition to set up a committee of judiciary and political figures to study proposed constitutional amendments that would allow more candidates to run for President and impose term limits on the presidency, the state news agency reported. The committee was given until the first week of March to finish the tasks.

The regime also pledged not to harass those participating in the anti-government protests, which have drawn hundreds of thousands at the biggest rallies. The government also agreed not to hamper freedom of the press and not to interfere with text messaging and Internet.

Sunday’s meeting was the broadest representation of Egypt’s fragmented opposition to meet with the new Vice-President since the protests demanding the immediate ouster of long-time President Hosni Mubarak began on Jan. 25.

The opposition groups represented included the youthful supporters of leading democracy advocate Mohamed ElBaradei, who are one of the main forces behind the protests.

The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group, and a number of smaller leftist, liberal groups also attended the meeting, according to footage shown on state television.

Mr. Mubarak, Egypt’s ruler of nearly 30 years, has rejected calls to step down immediately and instead promised a package of unspecified political reforms, part of a series of concessions the regime has made in an unsuccessful bid to quell the protests.

The two sides also agreed at the meeting that the government would open an office that would field complaints about political prisoners, according to the state news agency.

The government also pledged to commission judicial authorities to fight corruption and prosecute those behind it. It agreed to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the yet unexplained disappearance of police from Cairo’s streets more than a week ago, which unleashed a wave of lawless looting and arson.

Egypt’s emergency laws were imposed by Mr. Mubarak when he took office in 1981 and they have been in force ever since. The laws give police far-reaching powers for detention and suppression of civil and human rights. Lifting the laws has been a long-time demand by the opposition.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.