CAIRO: Reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei announced that he agreed with a number of leftist leaders and members of the "Leftists for ElBaradei" campaign to participate in his campaign for reform and collect signatures for his petition. ElBaradei, former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), met Tuesday evening with a number of prominent leftist figures and members of the "Leftists for ElBaradei" campaign at the office of Khaled Ali, head of the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights. The meeting was attended by George Ishaq, former coordinator of the Kefaya movement and member of the National Association for Change, and a number of leftist figures from the Democratic Left Movement, most prominently the coordinator of the "Leftists for ElBaradei" campaign Emad Atteyya, publisher Farid Zahran, political scientist Samer Suleiman and the coordinator of the group "Egyptians against Religious Discrimination" Mohamed Mounir. The meeting between ElBaradei and leftist figures comes after he met with the Muslim Brotherhood on Saturday. ElBaradei told Daily News Egypt following the meeting that he was particularly interested in the Egyptian left's vision for political reform and democracy. He added: "I benefited a lot from the meeting and we agreed on the importance of the participation of all political movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood, in the battle for change during the coming period." ElBaradei mentioned that his meetings with the general public and his dialogue with different political movements influenced his vision on political reform. "These tours and meetings fueled my determination to fight the battle for change. "I'm more convinced that the Egyptian people are prepared for change and are craving it. During the last period, the Egyptian people managed to break the barrier of fear and several groups, including workers, took to the streets in demonstrations and protests calling for their rights," he said. Atteyya told Daily News Egypt, "The ideological differences between the left and the Muslim Brotherhood regarding essential issues like citizenship, women's rights and religious freedoms will not impede coordination between the left and the Brotherhood in the battle for change. The Brotherhood has the right to participate in the political arena."
