The International Coptic Council (ICC) warned Egyptian opposition parties not to coordinate their activities with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) opposition group in a way that would enable the latter to field candidates in upcoming parliamentary elections slated for later this year. "The regime has agreed to give opposition parties a certain number of seats in parliament, including some for the MB," said ICC spokesman Michael Mounir. Mounir added that the ICC was currently working with Coptic activists both in Egypt and abroad--including certain "liberal" clergymen--to boycott political parties that coordinated with the MB, particularly the Wafd and Tagammu parties, both of which have already opened talks with the group. Mounir also criticized the ruling National Democratic Party for its failure to nominate Copts as parliamentary candidates. "They only nominate one or two at the most--just for form's sake--every time," he said. Meanwhile, Abdel Messieh Bassit, a priest in Cairo's Mostorod district, cautioned political parties from dealing with groups that adhere to ideologies antagonistic to Copts. "The MB considers us second class citizens," he said. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
