Egypt: American ambassador meets with spokesman for the opposition

The American ambassador in Cairo David Welsh yesterday met, for one hour, the spokesman for the coalition of the main Egyptian opposition parties, known as al-Tawafuk ( consensus party), Rifaat al-Saeed.

It has been many years since an American ambassador meets with the representatives of the Egyptian opposition parties which had launched several months ago a campaign demanding not to amend the constitution in order to have the President of the Republic elected from a multitude of candidates limited to two successive terms of office.

Al-Saeed said that the meeting dealt with general issues including democracy. He refused to give more details. The meeting which was made at the request of the American ambassador was held at the headquarters of the coalition party which is headed by al-Saeed, according to party sources. Al-Tawafuk parties accused in a press conference held on Tuesday the Egyptian government of using the emergency law to ban the convening of a massive conference in one of the public squares in Cairo.