Brotherhood to boycott Egypt president's national reconciliation meetings

A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood has said that the group will not attend the national reconciliation sessions called for by interim President Adly Mansour. Brotherhood spokesman Ahmed Aref said on Tuesday that all members of the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy, a coalition of allies of ousted Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi, also denounce the calls for national reconciliation. He told Ahram Arabic that the groups’ rejection of the process comes because they do not acknowledge the current government. During a televised speech on Tuesday, Mansour reiterated his calls for national reconciliation during the current transitional phase. According to media reports, the meeting will be attended by several political forces such as the National Salvation front, the Wafd Party and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party. The Muslim Brotherhood has turned down a number of calls for national reconciliation by the post-Morsi government, describing it as illegitimate. Thousands of Morsi’s supporters are holding an ongoing sit-in at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo demanding his reinstatement. Morsi was removed on 3 July by the military following mass nationwide protests. Last week, senior Muslim Brotherhood figure Mohamed El-Beltagy said that the group would not take part in negotiations until "the legitimate president Morsi is reinstated."