"We stress that the president's invitation for the proposed dialogue should not deviate from its true objectives and correct path," said Abdel-Aal.

Abdel-Aal's statement said that El-Tagammu's criticism of NAT comes after the academy's executive director Rasha Ragheb organised a big reception for a delegation from the parliamentary majority party Mostaqbal Watan this week.

"Azab's discussion with Mosqabal Watan on the proposed dialogue, its agenda and how it should be organised sends a warning signal that the NAT will not stand neutral and that it will not deal with all participants on equal footing," said the statement.

"El-Tagammu also voices concern that NAT’s executive director Rasha Ragheb's meeting with the Mostaqbal Watan delegation went so far as to probe the possibility of Mostaqbal Watan providing organisational and logistical support for the dialogue, a development which means discrimination against other political parties."

The statement added that "El-Tagammu now has real fears that the proposed dialogue will turn out not to be a national dialogue, but rather a dialogue between political parties, syndicates, trade unions, civil society organisations and public figures on one hand and the party of Mostaqbal Watan on the other hand."

"This represents a clear deviation and could lead the president's proposed national dialogue to fail before it begins," said the statement.

El-Tagammu's statement urged NAT's executive director Ragheb to exercise greater political responsibility and neutrality.

"We believe that Ragheb should issue an urgent statement that will reveal the real intentions behind her grand reception of the Mostaqbal Watan delegation," the statement said, adding that "as far as we understand, the invitation for the national dialogue requested political parties to just send written documents on their proposed agenda for this dialogue within one week and propose how it should be organised."

"The invitation said nothing about political parties visiting the headquarters of the NAT or that NAT's executive director organises a grand reception for a certain political party and asks for logistical support from this party, a development which raises doubts that NAT, which is affiliated with the presidency, does not have the required capacity to organise such a proposed national dialogue," said El-Tagammu's statement.

The statement concluded that "out of its national and historical responsibility, El-Tagammu Party promises that it will do its best to guarantee the success of the proposed dialogue, but at the same time it warns that the irresponsible practices of some elements might push this dialogue into failure."

"This will be a very bad development for Egypt's political future, and so all elements should exercise responsibility and seriousness and stand together to help confront the difficulties standing in the way of Egypt at this critical period of its long history," the statement concluded.