The former President of the International Atomic ُEnergy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei and a potential contender in the 2011 presidential elections postponed his return to Egypt, which was originally scheduled for today.
ElBaradei did not announce when he will return as he does not want to be welcomed by citizens at the airport, said George Ishaq, a leader of the National Association for Change.
According to Ishaq, ElBaradei will soon announce his position on an invitation for dialogue he received from the coalition of Egyptian opposition parties which includes the Wafd, Tagammu, Nasserist and Democratic Front parties. ElBaradei expressed his desire to open dialogue with all parties in Egyptian society in his movement’s articles of association.
The National Association for Change’s general secretariat will convene this Saturday without ElBaradei, to discuss calls by some members to establish new branches in different governorates, said Hassan Naffa, general coordinator of the association. This expansion will facilitate the collection of citizens’ signatures on the articles of association, which include ElBaradei’s seven demands. Some of the demands include a guarantee of electoral integrity, the introduction of constitutional amendments and other political reforms.
The general secretariat includes the association’s coordination committee as well as the coordination committee for the Egyptian Campaign Against Presidential Succession.
The National Association for Change is not a party, but rather a movement that seeks change, said Naffa, adding that members of the Ghad party and the Democrat Front are active members in the association.
Speculating on possible coalitions, Naffa said it is difficult for his group to join the parties when Tagammu rejects the Muslim Brotherhood and Wafd rejects the Ghad party, yet members of the Brotherhood and the Ghad party are strongly represented in the association.
The association is ready to cooperate with the coalition of parties because they have similar demands for reform, said Naffa, calling on the coalition to pressure the regime and mobilize the Egyptian street for change.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
