Egypt backtracks on reforms

Mr. Akef, whose banned but partially tolerated movement has in recent years been careful not to incite government retaliation, signaled over the weekend that he's considering more confrontational tactics.

Asked if he was considering mass protests or a general strike, he said the option to do so remained open - the first time that he's publicly considered mass action. "We have not reached this stage yet, but we will not hesitate if we decide we have reached that stage." The Brotherhood would like to bring Islamic law to Egypt, and Akef says it is "fully committed" to democracy.

In recent months the US, which has given about $2 billion a year to the Egyptian government since it signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1979, has both called for democracy here but also been careful in its criticism.

Speaking in Latvia on Saturday, President Bush said Egypt's fall presidential election "should proceed with international monitors, and with rules that allow for a real campaign."

He also warned that minor changes will be insufficient. "Selective liberalization - the easing of oppressive laws - is progress, but it is not enough. Successful democracies that effectively protect individual rights require viable political parties, an independent judiciary, a diverse media, and limits on executive power."

At the moment, Egypt has few of these things. The press and independent parties are subject to tight government control and there are few checks on Mubarak's authority. On Sunday, about 350 judges assembled in Cairo in response to Bush's statement and rejected the use of foreign observers, the Associated Press reported.

Opposition political parties are almost nearly terminally weak and complain of being hounded by the government. In addition to the criminal charges against him, which Mr. Nour calls "fraudulent," three buses of his supporters were attacked going to a campaign rally near Cairo on Friday. Al-Ghad officials claimed "government thugs, supported by police" were responsible.

Wael Nawara, an aide to Mr. Nour, says about 80 men with sticks stopped the buses on a road outside the town of Kafr al-Saqor and that the police turned "a blind eye" to the attack. "To be able to run in a fair manner, you have to be able to travel the country and meet people. If this doesn't change, there's no way the election will be fair. All this shows that the regime's spirit is still the same and they're just adjusting the tactics to soothe local and international pressure."

The arrests of Brotherhood members were prompted by rallies in at least 10 Egyptian cities last week with up to 70,000 protesters calling for a repeal of laws limiting political organization and public expression. Those were the largest rallies in at least a year, reflecting the 80-year-old organization's broad support.

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