Egypt Critical News Update #11-Whose Streets? Whose Negotiations?

Buying Time, Attempted Media Coup, or Oligarchy Counterrevolution?

Adrián Boutureira- February, 7, 2011

A proposal being promoted by a group of Egyptians calling itself the the Council of Wise Men and composed of Egypt's top western-friendly intellectual and economic oligarchy, involves vice president Omar Suleiman assuming presidential powers for an interim period pending elections. This was discussed yesterday, Sunday 6th at a meeting between this council, other self-appointed "representatives of the opposition", a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and Suleiman.

What was negotiated?

It is important to point out THAT what these self-appointed mediators brought to the table was a proposal drawn up and discussed with Suleiman A PRIORI by the so called Wise Men, and NOT what was drafted by the demonstrators in popular assembly on Liberation Square recently.  In one of Egypt's major oligarchy- controlled news organizations, Ahram, an article stated that the Council was at this meeting representing, not only themselves, but also all the 5 major youth groups organizing the square demonstrations: the 6 April Movement; the Campaign in Support of Baradei and Democracy; the Door-Knock Campaign, The Muslim Brotherhood Youth; and the Youth Movement of the Democratic Front Party. Yet, lead spokesperson of the April 6 Youth Movement, Mohamed Adel, said the council of Wise Men does not represent the movement nor the people demonstrating in Tahrir Square in any way:

“We don’t know anything about the Council of Wise Men and the resolutions and statements they’re making,” Adel said.

The demands being discussed and the terms of the concessions by the regime, immediately betray inconsistency upon review. The supposedly agreed to concessions, while addressing nearly all of the same demands as those originally drafted by the demonstrators, excluded perhaps the one most critical for the rest to be truly implementable:

• The resignation of the entire ruling party, INCLUDING the new vice-president Omar Suleiman.

Who was at this meeting?

According to the official document: a representative of these "Wise Men", a "broad" base of political opposition party leaders, some youth-supposedly, but denied by the groups themselves, representing the coalition of youth movements- ; some other intellectuals and academics, and most surprisingly, the Muslim Brotherhood, which had previously stated that they would not join in any negotiations with the Mubarak regime.

Contradictions

There is now a serious contradiction between the Brotherhood's stated positions and the official statement released by Suleiman's office. That statement declared that ALL the parties present at the meeting, not only agreed to the list of concessions and it's mode of implementations, but also that Mubarak would remain in power until the end of his term in September. However, on its website, the Brotherhood said that “during the national dialogue session on Sunday at the Council of Ministers under the chairmanship of Suleiman, the Muslim Brotherhood said that continued participation in these discussions was contingent on the implementation of the demands advocated by the 25 January protesters."

The protesters are demanding that Mubarak and his whole regime resign before dialogue can begin. Dialogue would include reform of the Constitution, dissolving parliament and the formation of a national salvation government. The MB website quoted Brotherhood leader Essam al-Erian, of the Muslim Brotherhood's Guidance Bureau (the group's highest executive body) as saying that the group's demands are the same as those of the people. Mohamed Morsi, member of the Guidance Bureau, the Brotherhood's representative at the meeting, said the protesters represent the Egyptian masses and their demands must be respected by all. “The legitimacy of the Egyptian people’s demands presides over the Constitution, the regime and its desires to escape from the impasse in order to achieve the will of the people,” Morsi said.

Challenges for the Uprising:

While this propaganda and misinformation war continues, regular people on the streets might be starting to feel a bit of battle fatigue. Even as almost all Egyptians appear to support the demands of the demonstrators, they might also want to see a resolution to the standoff and a way forward to the normalization of their lives. With this agreement supposedly reached, which apparently addresses almost all of the demands made by the demonstrators, and which at least "officially" and falsely includes approval by the Muslim Brotherhood, many people might feel inclined to press the demonstrators to accept it. Even if the implementation of any key and significant demands would be next to impossible to implement if the regime is the one left in charge of all the governing institutions for the next nine months, and furthermore, allowed to lay the groundwork again for rigged elections.

This would indeed be a coup for the US, the ruling party and the Egyptian oligarchy. Omar Suleiman is the man that was hand-picked by the US a week ago to replace Mubarak when his demise became inevitable. A man whose credentials read like some sort of who is who in Egypt's CIA's poket and its torture chambers, about to assume power over the transition period...This would be a real disaster and nothing short of defeat for the struggle.

Protesters blocking tanks in Liberation Square

 There is now therefore a race against time and a set of serious challenges facing the activists, organizers and all citizens holding steadfast in the front lines beyond challenging the validity of this supposed agreement between the regime and the opposition. The state's propaganda machine and capitalist-controlled media outlets, including even networks like Al Jazzera, have stepped up their fear mongering about the collapse of the Egyptian economy and dire conditions that have already resulted, and will continue to result, from a prolonged stand off. Simultaneously, the army has retaken most of the streets around Cairo and put up barbed wire around Liberation Square creating a sense of division between the Square inhabitants and the rest of society. Clashes and confrontations have already happened between demonstrators and the army setting up a dynamic where the demonstrators are now seemingly in direct conflict with the one institution that has been propped up since the beginning of the uprising as acting fairly and with restrain (this is even directly pointed to in the statement that came out of Suleiman's office).

With these dubious negotiations and agreements being presented by the regime as having taken place with a broad base coalition of opposition political forces, the powers that be now have played a  most sophisticated and dangerous card which aims to isolate, marginalize and demonize the legitimate forces of society still resisting the charade.

This morning, in Liberation Square, Salma El-Tarzi, an activist, told Al Jazeera that she was indifferent to the talks. "The political parties can do whatever they please because they don't represent us," she said. "This is not a revolution made by the parties. The parties have been there for 30 years and they've done nothing. This is the people's revolution."

And she is right. Let's just hope that the rest of the Egyptian people also see this and are prepared to do what is necessary to protect the best interest of the people.