Political stalemate paralyzes Egypt

As protestors continued to occupy Cairo’s Tahrir Square and blocked off a key government building on Monday, members of the Egyptian government met with opposition groups to negotiate a solution to the country’s ongoing political crisis. On Sunday, Vice-President Omar Suleiman hosted talks with representatives of six opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, who were previously banned from Egypt’s political process. Talks stalled as opposition groups said the government’s concessions were not enough, saying the stalemate would only be broken if the government complied with all of its demands, including the immediate resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, the dissolution of parliament, the lifting of emergency laws and the release of political prisoners. In an effort to revive the Egyptian economy, the government has sold of $2.5-billion in short-term debt. The country’s stock market, however, will not open until February 13.

BBC News