In a televised interview, Ahmed Shafiq accuses the Brotherhood of involvement in the infamous Battle of the Camel; shrugs off pledge document; ridicules attempts to exclude him from the presidential race Ahmed Shafiq on Monday evening speaking in a televised interview on the private channel CBC, sustained his attacks on the Muslim Brotherhood accusing them of sectarianism and divisiviness. He warned of the dangers of their coming to power alluding to the way they would forcefully impose their views on society. Echoing his comments at a Sunday press conference in which he described the Brotherhood as being part of the former regime, Shafiq said that holding parliamentary seats under former president Hosni Mubarak, the Brotherhood had supported the regime and carried out secret deals with them. Shafiq also accused the Brotherhood of participating in the killing of protesters in Tahrir Square during the 18-day uprising that led to the toppling of Mubarak. "The day will come when the people will know the truth about who really killed the protesters in the Square." Shafiq also claimed that Brotherhood members could be seen on top of buildings throwing Molotov cocktails on the protesters during the Battle of the Camel on 2 February during the 18 days which left several hundred injured. "I read this in a newspaper article," Shafiq said when pressed to reveal sources by Khairy Ramadan, the CBC's nighly Momken news programme. This statement came in response to accusations targeted at Shafiq for his involvement in the Battle of the Camel which took place while he was serving as Mubarak's last prime minister. The presidential candidate additionally rejected approving or signing "The Document of the Pledge" initiative which has been drafted by a number of liberal and leftist political forces, outlining the fundamentals of a civil and democratic state. Shafiq addressed the efforts by Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi and former presidential candidates Abdel-Moneim Abu-Fotouh, Hamdeen Sabbahi and Khaled Ali for the political disenfranchisement law to be implemented. The law strips a limited number of individuals who served in top positions in the former regime during the past ten years of their political rights including running for president. If implemented, Shafiq would be excluded from the presidential race. "In what capacity do they call for the implementation of the law?" he stressed. Taking a strike at Abul-Fotouh specifically over statements he had made that Shafiq's candidacy is illegitimate, Shafiq said curtly, "At your old age you should know better". Shafiq further snubbed the protests in Tahrir and stated that those who want a reverse in the political process and the repeat of the elections are "dreamers", as he affirmed: "The ballot box is sacred". On a different note, he also stated that once in power, he will be able to enforce order and security ending endemic traffic jams in Egypt in a matter of 24 hours. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/43857.aspx
