Egypt regime 'attempting to reconcile' with banned Muslim Brotherhood

A Muslim Brotherhood leader has said that Egyptian authorities have been attempting to reconcile with the blacklisted Islamist movement.

Mohamed Sudan told The New Arab on Wednesday that figures from the Egyptian government have contacted the group to speak about working on a compromise deal between both sides.

"There have been very recent communications from parties in the current Egyptian regime and some of its supporters with the Muslim Brotherhood to try and reach a truce or reconciliation deal," Sudan said.

"Second-level leaders in some agencies of the Sisi regime have visited Istanbul to express their desire to join the anti-coup camp and others have done the same during meetings in Cairo," the London-based Brotherhood leader added.

Sudan refused to disclose the identities of the Egyptian officials, who have reportedly contacted the Brotherhood about the possible political reconcilement.

A military overthrow led by current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi against former Islamist Brotherhood-affiliated President Mohammad Morsi in 2013 unleashed a bloody crackdown on his supporters.

The crackdown decimated the Islamist movement and killed hundreds of its members, and set off an insurgency that has killed scores of security personnel.

The report of a possible reconciliation with the banned group comes as US President Donald Trump seems set to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation - a designation that has long been sought out by Sisi.

An executive order under consideration by Trump would direct the secretary of state to determine whether to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organisation, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Trump is reportedly also planning to suspend issuing visas for people from several Muslim-majority countries, including Syria and Iraq, for at least 30 days.

The newly inaugurated US President said this week that his administration was committed to providing military assistance to Egypt's regime, after speaking to Sisi in a phone call.

The Egyptian leader, who was the first world leader to congratulate Trump on his election win, has painted himself as a regional leader in the fight against Islamic militancy – a stance that echoes Trump's priorities.

Egypt has recently come under fire for its indiscriminate use of broad counter-terrorism laws after a criminal court classified around 1,500 people as "terrorists" for their alleged assistance to the Muslim Brotherhood.