After shunning earlier invitations by President Mohamed Morsi to hold talks aimed at resolving Egypt's current political crisis, Mohamed ElBaradei, one of the leaders of the National Salvation Front (NSF) opposition umbrella group, has called for a meeting with Morsi and various political players.
"We need a meeting between the president, defence minister, interior minister, the ruling party [i.e., the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party], the Salafist current and the NSF to take prompt actions to abort violence and start a serious discussion," ElBaradei declared via Twitter on Wednesday.
On Monday, the NSF – a coalition of parties and groups opposed to Morsi and Egypt's newly-approved constitution – again rejected an invitation by the presidency to hold talks aimed at halting the sporadic violence recently seen around the country.
In December, following mass protests that erupted after a controversial presidential decree, the NSF had similarly rejected Morsi's calls for dialogue. The front subsequently issued five pre-conditions for holding talks with the presidency.
Egypt has seen riots, anti-government protests and deadly clashes since Thursday night, the eve of the January 25 Revolution's second anniversary. Since then, over 50 people have been killed in Cairo, Suez, Port Said and Ismailia, while a state of emergency has been declared in the cities of Egypt's Suez Canal.
