Brotherhood rejects cabinet offer

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has declared it will refuse to join an interim cabinet to replace ousted president Mohammed Morsi, spurning an offer from the new prime minister to help shepherd the country through a transition period.

Prime minister Hazem el-Beblawi is holding consultations on a cabinet that will face the difficult task of guiding the deeply divided country through what promises to be a rocky transition period following the military’s toppling of Mr Morsi last week. In what is seen as an attempt at reconciliation, he has said he will offer the Brotherhood, which helped propel Mr Morsi to the presidency, posts in his transitional government.