Islamists seek truce between Egypt’s army and Brotherhood

Egyptian army stationed at the entrance of Tahrir Square in Cairo, August 18 Cairo – Arab Today Top leaders of two of Egypt’s former militant groups proposed a truce on Monday to stop the bloodshed in Egypt, asking Islamists to stop protests in return for an end to the army crackdown against them. More than 1000 people have been killed across Egypt since Islamist former president Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3, following mass demonstrations.
The initiative by Gamaa Islamiya and Islamic Jihad, who waged an insurgency in Egypt in the 1990s, is aimed at fostering dialogue between the interim government and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Jihad leader Mohammed Abu Samra told The Associated Press on Monday there were no “red lines” for negotiations. Islamists had previously insisted on Morsi being returned to power as condition for talks.
Protests and subsequent violence diminished this week and many Brotherhood leaders were arrested.  Authorities relaxed a curfew on Saturday that was imposed on 14 provinces on August 14.
The proposed truce comes after a spokesman for interim President Adly Mansour said Egypt had overcome a “conspiracy” to overthrow the state.
\"We were facing a funded conspiracy against the state, but we have overcome it and we are now ready to move on to building the future for a modern Egypt,\" El-Meslemani said a news conference, al-Ahram reported.
\"Those who attempt to break our army belong in the same garbage bin with the Tatars and the Crusaders,\" El-Meslemani added.
The Muslim Brotherhood accuses the military of conducting a coup against Egypt’s first democratically elected president and says security forces used lethal force against unarmed protesters.
The trial of Muslim Brotherhood leaders and 32 other Islamist defendants was adjourned by an Egyptian court on Sunday, because the defendants were absent.