CAIRO: Egyptian Minister of the Interior Mansour el-Issawy has agreed in principle to pardon armed groups in Sinai that have formed over the past few months, said Abdel Aziz, head of the Shadow Government of Revolution Youth. After four rounds of negotiations between the Youth movement and Sinai groups, the gunmen agreed to abandon the road they had commandeered in Sinai in exchange for the pardon. The gunmen feared detainment and thus asked for a pardon in exchange for surrendering the strip of road in Sinai, the Youth movement said. “Both sides agreed on the submission of all names to the Minister of the Interior for consideration of pardon,” said Aziz. The strong coordination between the government, the Youth movement and the Ministry of the Interior, highlighted by this agreement, could help prevent more bloodshed and instability in the peninsula, he added. There will be an official press conference to announce the pardons, Aziz said.
