Cairo: Muslim Brotherhood seeks dialogue

Marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood group, whose literature advocates peaceful struggle to establish a Palestinian State, the group's general guide Moustafa Masshour said at an Iftar banquet held in Cairo and attended by 700 persons that the Muslim Brotherhood seeks to maintain dialogue with various "parties opposed to violence, terrorism, and extremism."

No governmental representative attended the meeting as has been the case since the beginning of the 1990's when the Egyptian government accused the Muslim Brotherhood of responsibility for armed violence carried out by extremist Islamic groups in Egypt.

Mashhour said eliminating obstacles before the freedom of expression and political work means to fight "extremist thought" advocated by armed extremist Islamists.

However, the brotherhood is represented by one Parliament member in the Egyptian People's Council.

Mashhour, who is the fifth guide for the Muslim Brotherhood, demanded the government release members of his group being imprisoned.