El-Erian resigns from Egypt's advisory council

Presidential office accepts Essam El-Erian's resignation from advisory post after latter cites 'conflict of interest' with new position as head of FJP's bloc in Shura Council Egypt's presidency on Monday formally accepted the resignation of Essam El-Erian, leading Muslim Brotherhood member and vice chairman of the group's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), from his position as presidential advisor. El-Erian has served on the presidential advisory council since the election last summer of President Mohamed Morsi. The veteran Brotherhood leader formally tendered his resignation from the post on Sunday, stating on his official Facebook page that he had made the decision due to a perceived "conflict of interest" following his recent appointment as head of the FJP's bloc in the Shura Council (the upper, consultative house of Egypt's parliament). "I decided to resign my position in the president's advisory council since I'm now occupied with my work as head of the FJP's bloc in the Shura Council," El-Erian stated. "I cannot hold both positions after the approval of the new constitution, as there would be a conflict of interest between a position in the executive authority and another in the legislative authority," he added. El-Erian, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood and a founding member of the FJP, was tasked with heading up the party's bloc in the Shura Council late last month. From Ahramonline