CAIRO: Osama Al-Ghazaly Harb, chairman of the Democratic Front Party, held a meeting with members of various political parties to discuss political and democratic reform, he told Daily News Egypt. Harb said the meeting invited members of different political parties on a personal basis to the Democratic Front Party's headquarters. He said he also invited members of the Kefaya movement and activists who participated in the March 9 and April 6 strikes. "It is clear that all the political forces should unite to come up with new ideas and bolster the current political situation in Egypt, he said. Essam El-Erian, a leading figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, said the meeting was held this week in an effort to combat Egypt's "obvious deteriorating conditions. "Currently the conditions in Egypt do not look good in any way and we think that we have to do something in that regard, he added. El-Erian attended the meeting with members from Al-Wafd, Al-Tagammu, Al-Ghad and the Nasserist parties. However, both El-Erian and Harb refused to disclose any details of what was discussed in the meeting. "We do not want to talk about our discussions to the press before finalizing our strategies and decisions, he said. On the other hand, Nabil Abdel Fattah, political analyst, was pessimistic about the meeting's outcome. He explained that opposition parties, and illegal powers such as the Muslim Brotherhood, have difficulties creating a united front and facing the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). Abdel Fattah cited several attempts by the opposition, including the Brotherhood, to confront the ruling party, indicating their weakness. "They all failed due to the government's empty promises to some of those political parties. "The current parties in Egypt are isolated from real life on the streets. They are doing their jobs from their offices away from the real problems and the citizens, Abdel Fattah said. He presumed that the topics discussed during this meeting were the "usual ones, tackling issues such as succession in the Arab world, elections in Egypt and the best ways to monitor them. In response, Harb said that this kind of mentality oversimplifies the situation. He said there is a real concrete problem in Egypt's political system which includes the political activities and the conditions of political parties. "It's no news that political parties in Egypt need a lot . we all should do our best and not stand still in front of the dire political situation that we are currently in.
