Egypt PM Won’t Rule Out Brotherhood Role in New Gov’t

Local Editor

Egypt's Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi said on Thursday he does not rule out posts for the Muslim Brotherhood in a new cabinet, if the candidates were suitably qualified.

Beblawi, who was appointed on Tuesday, said he was still considering who would comprise the interim government after Islamist president Mohamed Mursi's ouster in a popular military coup last week.

"I don't look at political association ... If someone is named from the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, if he is qualified for the post" he may be considered, Beblawi stated.
"I'm taking two crite
 State media had quoted an aide to interim president Adly Mansour saying Beblawi would offer Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood some posts in the new government.
The offer has already been rejected by the Islamists, who demand Mursi's reinstatement.
"So far I haven't approached anyone," Beblawi added, explaining he wanted to decide on the best candidates before asking them to join the government.
Meanwhile, the general prosecutor's office said Mohamed Badie, the Brotherhood's supreme guide, along with top officials in the group's Freedom and Justice Party and allied political parties, were wanted for "planning, inciting, and aiding criminal acts" outside the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo where Mursi, the ousted president, was believed to be held in military custody.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that they had also ordered 200 people held in custody for at least 15 days pending further investigation into their suspected role in Monday's mayhem and released 446 others on bail, according to Ahram Online, the website of Egypt's leading newspaper.

At the same time, the new interim government appeared to be gaining more credibility - and generous offers of financial aid - from its Arab neighbors in the Persian Gulf, who were happy to see the Brotherhood's political ascendance blunted in Egypt. Kuwait said it would provide an aid package worth $4 billion, adding to the $8 billion in grants, loans, and fuel promised Tuesday by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team