The Muslim Brotherhood has announced that it will not participate in the first national conference for political forces, scheduled for 7 May. The conference will be held at the Cairo International Conference Centre under the slogan “People Protect Their Revolution”. About 2500 youth supporting the principle of a “civil state” and belonging to different political movements and parties will participate in the conference, which aims at preserving the gains of the 25 January revolution and continuing the completion of its objectives. Mamdouh Hamza, who called for the conference, said in a statement to the Middle East News Agency on Thursday that he still welcomes the participation of the Brotherhood if the group changes its mind, especially since Essam al-Erian, a member of the Brotherhood's Guidance Bureau and the group's spokesman, promised to raise the issue once again within the group. Hamza said that confirmation of attendance had been reveived from three potential candidates for Egypt's presidency: Amr Moussa, Hisham al-Bastawisi, and Hamdin Sabahi, although was still waiting for a response from Mohamed ElBaradei. Hamza said that four key issues would be addressed during the conference, among them the fundamental principles of the future constitution, as well as visions of development and social justice in the country. Delegates will also discuss strategies for unifying the political and national forces in preparation for the upcoming legislative elections. The fourth and most important point, according to Hamza, will be the formation of a civilian council during the transitional period to join the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in running the country. The groups attending the counference aim to form a unified list for the upcoming elections, with the names of candidates nominated by political affiliation. Translated from the Arabic edition
