The National Salvation Front (NSF) announced that the round table discussion it had called for earlier would be postponed for 72 hours. “The current circumstances, amid all the consecutive violent events, don't allow for dialogue," said Ahmed Fawzy, secretary general of the Egyptian Democratic and Social Party (ESDP) and a representative of the NSF in the scheduled round table discussion. The NSF had called on the Salafi Al-Nour, Misr, Reform and Development, and Misr Al-Qawia patries to participate in a round table discussion about the current political and economic situation; the discussion was scheduled for Monday 25 March. “The meeting is essential especially with the presidency insisting on leading the country towards a civil war," Fawzy said. Fawzy said the NSF chose the four parties because they adopt the same stance as the front, rejecting the policies of the presidency and the Muslim Brotherhood. “Parties that blame the media or the opposition for the political crisis were eliminated from the discussion," he added. Al-Nour Party Chairman Younis Makhyoun announced on Sunday that the party would not participate in the dialogue, saying the discussion needed to be more comprehensive instead of being just about four parties and the NSF as the time and the circumstances do not allow for multi-stage discussions. “What further complicates the issue is the involvement of some NSF leaders in the recent Moqattam clashes, whether by calling for protests or by inciting violence," Makhyoun said, according to an official statement on the Al-Nour Party's website. Abdallah Helmy, political bureau member of the Reform and Development Party, said the discussion would tackle issues of security, a new cabinet, the economic crisis and the parliamentary elections. Helmy added that his party agreed to take part in the discussion and will be represented by the party's chairman Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat. Mohamed Othman, political communication coordinator forMisr Al-Qawia Party, said that the party offered a different vision for the structure of the discussion “that includes all the opposition parties; however, the NSF didn't reply yet". The Misr Party could not be reached for comment.
