Egypt's national dialogue kicks off in Cairo

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) – Egypt’s national dialogue called by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi started in the capital Cairo on Tuesday.

The dialogue is attended by all political groups in the country, except the Muslim Brotherhood movement, blacklisted by the authorities since 2013.

The first session of the dialogue discussed priorities of national work, the dialogue’s administration said in a statement.

Emad al-Din Hussein, a board member of trustees, said Tuesday’s session was “procedural.”

The dialogue’s board of trustees was formed last month and consists of 19 members, including lawmakers, heads of Egyptian rights groups, university lecturers and journalists.

In April, al-Sisi called for conducting a political dialogue on the current national issues.

He, however, said on Sunday that all political groups were invited to attend the dialogue except the Muslim Brotherhood, which the authorities banned in 2013 following the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi by the military.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar