Erian: FJP Boycotted SCAF’s Meeting with Parties, Holds it Responsible for Abbassiya Bloodshed

Erian: FJP Boycotted SCAF’s Meeting with Parties, Holds it Responsible for Abbassiya Bloodshed

Dr. Essam El-Erian, Vice Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and Chairman of the People’s Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee, said “We did not participate in the meeting of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) with political parties today because we cannot sit with them while innocent blood is spilt a few meters away from the place of the meeting, while SCAF does not do its duty to protect peaceful protest, leaving all these crimes taking place in full view of everyone”.

 

During the FJP’s press conference today – with a number of representatives of Egypt’s political currents – Erian said that there are a lot of question marks about the events.



“The attacks began immediately after the call for the SCAF meeting; and the fighting stopped immediately after the announcement of military intervention – after the killing of more than 10 protesters.”


Dr. Erian said that there was no point to the SCAF meeting, in any case, especially since all the political players committed to what was agreed upon with regard to the Constituent Assembly.


“The Egyptian people are certainly capable of protecting the revolution and achieving its objectives and ensuring that SCAF relinquishes ruling power in accordance with the will of the people. All parties must listen to the people.”


Moreover, Erian added that national and political stakeholders participating in the conference agreed to call for a million-man march, this Friday, 4th of May, in response to these grave events and to demand the dismissal of the incumbent government, punishment for all culprits, and the handover of power as scheduled.


Further, Dr. Erian called upon SCAF to carry out its duty by implementing the decision of the elected Parliament, the sole legitimate representative of the Egyptian people, to sack the government, to allow for the formation of a coalition government, or to conduct a major cabinet reshuffle.


He pointed that the parliament will discuss a new legislative amendment to ensure a great deal of integrity in the presidential elections, calling on SCAF to establish a special court for appeals against the decisions of the elections committee, and demanding that the election committee declare its guarantees of fairness and integrity for the presidential elections.


Meanwhile, Dr. Osama Yassin, Chairman of the People’s Assembly Youth Committee and Assistant Secretary-General of the FJP, said that party members were present during the Abbassiya bloody events and that the FJP sent medical units to help the injured, "Today the party has sent a field hospital. We call upon everyone to participate in it".


Dr. Yassin mentioned that political parties and stakeholders are close to agreement on all terms of the Constituent Assembly, leaving no room for SCAF to intervene in its formulation.


He revealed that a new law is being discussed at the People’s Assembly for more guarantees for the transparency of the electoral process and more control on the entire election process, noting that if it is not possible to change an article in the Constitution, it is possible to change the judge supervising the elections.


For his part, Ayman Nour, the leader of ‘Ghadd Althawra’ party announced his full agreement with Dr. Erian’s statement, reiterating that political stakeholders cannot sit in meetings at a time when Egyptian blood is still flowing and dark question marks hang over the cause of the such bloodshed.


He added that the ‘Ghadd Althawra’ party demands resignation of the government, especially the Minister of Interior, after the horrific crimes committed and which are added to the record of this government.


“What happened today and yesterday is enough to force the dismissal of any government in any country that respects its people”, Nour affirmed, expressing his refusal of any excuse to extend the transition period in Egypt.


He demanded that SCAF must offer an official public apology for the delay in dealing with the tragic bloody events that took place a few meters from the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense.


He further stressed that the national stakeholders will continue to be united as one, will stick to what they have agreed upon and no one will impose his/her opinion on them.


Safwat Abdel-Ghani, Chairman of the Political Bureau of the “Construction and Development” Party, stressed that his party refuses to meet with SCAF in light of the massacres and bloodshed going on in the capital, placing the full responsibility for these events on SCAF.


He warned against taking these events as an excuse to postpone or cancel the handover of power to civilians, pointing out that they may be indeed intended for that goal. He added that this would mean a real and full re-launch of the great revolution.


Furthermore, Abdel-Moneim El-Sawy, head of the parliamentary bloc of Hadara Party, explained that the country’s political stakeholders are all united in the face of attempts to tamper with the schedule and plan of power handover, adding: “No one will stop the march of democratic transformation”.


Pointing that Parliament is the sole legitimate representative tasked with speaking on behalf of the Egyptian people, El-Sawy said that no one has the authority to rule over Parliament, and that its decisions must be respected.


“It is no longer acceptable, by any means, for the incumbent government to remain in office after its evident failure and the parliament’s decision to dismiss it”.


For his part, Amr Farouk, representative of the Wassat Party, affirmed the Party’s solidarity with all political parties and movements in support of the protesters and the sit-in because the right of peaceful protest is guaranteed to all, in any place and any time.


He further said, “SCAF wants to pass a constitutional declaration of which political parties will not accept certain articles through which SCAF seeks hegemony on Egypt, such as the article ‘28’ of the presidential elections law”.


Farouk called on demonstrators at the sit-in to persist in their commitment to calm, peaceful protest. He assured that SCAF must abide by the decisions of the Egyptian people represented in their elected parliament and its MPs, “Parliament is the sole representative of the people. National stakeholders must reach consensus in order to end the transitional period”.


Moreover, Dr. Wahid Abdel Meguid, Deputy of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the People’s Assembly, asserted that he held SCAF fully responsible for the tragic Abbassiya events, calling for the repeal of Article ‘28’ of the presidential elections law.


He added that there is no rational, fair-minded person in SCAF to realize the grave nature of the current phase of Egypt’s history, stressing that SCAF ferociously wants to persist in power and plunge the country into a sea of blood.


For his part, Amr Darwish, the representative of the General Coalition of the Revolution, assured that revolutionary youth will continue to lead the revolution and support the right to peaceful sit-in by any means as long as they are legitimate.


Darwish called on lawmakers to take to the streets, to do their part, which SCAF is hindering heavily.


He demanded an immediate investigation in the murder of martyrs, calling for broad participation in this Friday’s million-man march to bring down the government.


Also, MP Hatem Azzam said that all the Egyptians will not abandon the goals of the revolution, asserting that yesterday he learnt that SCAF wants to prolong the transitional period.


He stressed that SCAF does not want to turn over power to civilians, and wants to continue to milk the resources of the homeland.


Azzam went on saying, "The handover of power will not be postponed for one day. SCAF provokes crises and uses them to its advantage, and seeks to distort and taint the image of the parliament that has been elected legally for the first time in the history of Egypt".