AMMAN - The National Dialogue Committee resumed its deliberations on Wednesday after a disruption caused by walkouts, while the main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, insisted that it is still not the right time to join the panel.

The committee convened yesterday, with discussions mainly focused on deciding topics of deliberation over the coming few weeks, committee member Mohammad Abu Rumman told The Jordan Times.

The members agreed to select Rajai Muasher as chairman of the committee tasked with drawing the main lines of the committee’s action plan, according to Abu Rumman, a political analyst and columnist who was among 16 members who walked out to protest a clampdown on peaceful demonstrators Friday. The group, except one politician, rejoined the panel after meeting with its president, Senate Speaker Taher Masri.

The analyst said the discussions “were carried out in a positive spirit”, adding that participants “realise the huge responsibility they shoulder as society is looking forward to seeing them come up with suggestions that meet the calls for reform”.

According to Abu Rumman, the only member who still did not rejoin the panel was Saeed Thiab, secretary general of the Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party, who said he would consult with his base before jumping on board anew.

Islamists intransigent

The Islamists, in previous remarks to The Jordan Times, had set two conditions to participate in national dialogue: the inclusion of constitutional amendments in the agenda and that the panel receives direct support from His Majesty King Abdullah.

During his Tuesday meeting with the president and members of the panel, the King said he would respect any outcome of the discussions regarding changes to the Constitution pertaining to the two said laws.

In addition, His Majesty said he personally guarantees the implementation of the recommendations of the panel, which has a three-month deadline to produce new versions of the laws.

Asked if that was enough, secretary general of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) Party, the political arm of the Brotherhood, Hamzah Mansour, said: “It is still too early to judge things at the current stage.”

But Zaki Bani Rsheid, who heads the political bureau of the IAF, gave a more direct answer.

“Our position has not changed. We are still not going to participate in the National Dialogue Committee, especially after the Friday violence and the assault against the peaceful demonstrators by those who call themselves the loyalists.”

He went further to demand an apology from Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit for accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of inciting sedition and getting instructions from abroad.

“We have not heard any word of apology. This government and the dialogue committee are not the answer to all reform calls. The government is not qualified to lead any efforts in that direction,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Their stand drew fire from a prominent analyst.

“They [the Islamists] read the scene from a wrong perspective. They have realised in light of the emergence of new forces, especially among the youth, that they are not under spotlight any more. The Brotherhood has apparently decided that remaining in the opposition camp would earn them more influence in the street,” said Sultan Hattab, a veteran columnist.

“They have no excuse not to take part in the dialogue now, but it has been a trend that every time they receive concessions, they come up with new demands,” Hattab said.

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