Several columnists have denounced Morsy's recent visit to Germany as an example of his failure to consider the deteriorating political situation in Egypt, criticising his decision to visit Berlin amid the political uproar. Some highlight that many Egyptians regret their choice of Morsy as president. The failing trip to Germany Mohamed Salmawi Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper Salmawi says that Morsy's visit to Berlin, which comes while Egyptians continue to protest across the country, has given a bad impression of Egypt and the current regime. After announcing a state of emergency in three Canal cities, Morsy was unable to settle the crisis at home. The writer believes that Morsy's visit to Berlin was an attempt to secure financial grants from Germany. Morsy failed to convince German Chancellor Angela Merkel to waive €240 million of Egyptian debt. According to German newspapers, Merkel told Morsy that both economic and political reforms are conditional to any potential assistance for Egypt. In Salmawi's view Morsy was indirectly insulted by German officials, who advised him on how to move forward with Egypt from this critical stage. His trip to Germany has proven a failure since he has not returned with any fruitful results, agreements, or potential deals. Finally, the writer asks if Morsy has learnt a lesson from his trip to Germany. And even if he has, Salmawi wonders if the Muslim Brotherhood will learn the same lesson before sending Morsy on other foreign visits.
The common enemy for the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Salvation Front Emad Al-Din Hussein Al-Shorouk newspaper One of the biggest mistakes of the presidency and the Muslim Brotherhood is the belief that recent protests have been organised by a certain opposition party or figure, argues Hussein. Narrating his personal experience in trying to figure out who exactly is demonstrating, the writer says protesters are mainly citizens who strive to feed their families. Protesters do indeed include opposition figures and activists, but the majority do not belong to a certain political group. Hussein criticises claims that Hamdeen Sabahy, Mohamed ElBaradie or Amr Moussa are behind the demonstrations. How could the presidency believe that this might be the case when these opposition figures have been unable to mobilise enough supporters? The writer suggests that demonstrators who gathered in front of the presidential palace and in Tahrir Square are Egyptians from various social and political segments. The danger threatening Egypt today comes from an unidentified enemy. This enemy is common to the presidency, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the opposition itself. Instead of pointing fingers at each other, Hussein believes that the best way to settle the political unrest would be to engage in genuine dialogue. The initiatives talk Fahmy Howeidy Al-Shorouk newspaper Howeidy lists a number of initiatives proposed by several political parties and groups which aim to stop the violence spreading across Egypt. He recalls the initiatives of Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, ElBaradie, the presidency, and the national dialogue sessions, as well as the Salafi Al-Nour party's initiative. Although the writer praises all these initiatives, he acknowledges that none of them have managed to put an end to the political instability. Comparing the different initiatives, Howeidy argues that a successful initiative is assessed not only by its content, but also by its acceptance of other political groups. He then discusses the recent Al-Azhar initiative that aims to end the violence. The initiative has managed to attract the attention of almost all political groups and therefore Howeidy believes it will probably be extremely successful. The main problem remains the representation of political groups in any initiative. Although the writer commends Al-Azhar's initiative, he believes that society needs to be represented in initiatives such as any of the proposed dialogue sessions. If the diverse political groups agree to sit for talks, the process should not exclude ordinary citizens, who have been waiting for too long to have their voices heard. Rifaat Al-Said And the cat eats and listens Al- Masry Al-Youm newspaper Al-Said states that he saw many Egyptians protesting against Morsy and asking him to depart. Many of those present in Tahrir have expressed their regret over voting for Morsy simply to prevent Ahmed Shafiq from winning. The Muslim Brotherhood continues to prove a failure in running the country, clinging to power whilst refusing to listen to opposition groups. Al-Said is surprised to see the Islamist group ignoring protesters' demands as Egyptian streets boil with anger. “Down, down with the state of the Murshid,” chant the demonstrators in Tahrir, whilst officials at the palace pretend to be deaf to their demands. The writer recalls an Arab proverb: “The cat eats and listens.” He makes a comparison between the Muslim Brotherhood and the attitude of cats, who never seem to appreciate the generosity of their owners regardless of how much they are fed. The Muslim Brotherhood has reached power thanks to the generosity of the Egyptian people. Today, as protests continue to take place in several cities, the group hears the demands of the opposition, but never reacts to them. Emad Al-Din Hussein
