We, the undersigned, are citizens of Egypt; are part of its rich social texture; and are active in its public life in different arenas: intellectual, civic, political, cultural, and unionist. We come from different walks of life and together represent Egypt’s rich political diversity. We believe there are two grave dangers which beset our nation today. They are two sides of the same coin, each nourishing the other, and neither curable alone:

First, The odious assault on Arab native soil through:

1. The US occupation of Iraq;
2. The Zionist devastation daily wreaked on the Palestinian people bordering on a holocaust; and
3. The designs, including the Broader Middle East Initiative, to recast the chart and fate of the Arab region and people.

All civil and political efforts must be massed and coordinated to ward off this peril to the future survival of the Arab peoples and society.

Second, The repressive despotism that pervades all aspects of the Egyptian political system and want for democratic governance. Political reform constitutes:

1. Termination of the current monopoly of power at all levels, starting with the seat of the President of the Republic;
2. Effecting the rule of law as the supreme source of legitimacy;
3. Ermination of the current unfounded monopoly and squandering of the wealth of the nation; and
4. Regaining Egypt’s legitimate and significant, if now lost, place amongst the family of the nations.

What To Do: The Concrete Steps Our route to a homeland of democracy and progress for Egyptians calls for immediate measures towards:

1. Breaking the hold of the ruling party on power and all its instruments;
2. Cessation of the Emergency Law now in effect for a full quarter century;
3. Cessation of all laws which constrain public and individual freedoms; and
4. Effecting constitutional reform to
1. Allow for direct election by citizens of the President and Vice President of the Republic from within several candidates;
2. Limit the tenure of the President to a period not to exceed two terms;
3. Limit the currently almost absolute sanctions and prerogative currently entrusted to the office of the President of the Republic
4. Separate of the Legislative, Judiciary, and Executive Powers, and elaborating independent checks and balances for each;
5. Ensure the unsanctioned freedom of association; the formation of political parties; and the publication of newspapers;
6. Remove the current state of sequestration imposed on syndicates; and
7. Conduct fair and real parliamentary elections under the supervision of the Supreme Judicial Council and State Council for all steps, from citizen registration to the publication of the election results.