Ayman Nour holds talks with President Morsi

Former presidential candidate Ayman Nour has met one-on-one with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, amid speculation that he is being tipped to replace beleaguered Prime Minister Hisham Kandil. The meeting on Saturday marks the first time the two politicians have met alone since Nour participated in national dialogue talks following violent protests marking the second anniversary of Egypt's 2011 revolution. High-ranking Egyptian sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, have suggested Nour could replace Kandil in the near future. Sources at Nour’s Ghad al-Thawra party refused to confirm the rumours, denying any knowledge of an upcoming appointment. Another party source suggested the appointment could go ahead because of Nour’s record of “liberalism” and his longstanding opposition to the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, which ultimately resulted in a spell in prison. "Nour has become very close to President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood lately,” the source said. “The fact that he was always part of dialogue meetings called by the President should be enough.” Nour and Morsi also share a commonground in their stance against opposition bloc the National Salvation Front (NSF), after the group refused to participate in national dialogue talks following recent nationwide violence.