by Chris Bodenner
Samer Shehata runs through the various opposition party representatives who sat down with Suleiman for a "national dialogue":
After the immense upheaval that Egypt has undergone in the past two weeks, it was striking to see that the meeting was still composed of the same old faces, trying to cut a deal as if the protesters in Tahrir Square hardly existed. ... One cannot help but conclude that the "national dialogue" is little more than a regime tactic to co-opt the more moderate opposition parties, while leaving the youth protesters out in the cold.
But the presence of Muslim Brotherhood representatives was notable, Shehata admits, calling it a "monumental sea change from decades of Egyptian government pronouncements about the group and its activities."