CAIRO (Reuters) – A leader of an Islamist group that  waged an insurgency in Egypt in the 1990s called on Saturday for  al Qaeda and the Taliban to consider an opening offered by the  US president and call a halt to attacks on US civilians.

Essam Derbala, a member of the leadership council of  Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiya, or Islamic Group, made the appeal after  President Barack Obama said in Cairo on Thursday he wanted a  “new beginning” in ties between Washington and the Muslim world.

Islamist thinkers and groups in Egypt have long inspired  Islamic movements around the world.

Washington’s reputation plunged in the Muslim world under  the Middle East polices of Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush,  that were seen by many as targeting Muslims.

“I call on the Taliban of Afghanistan and Pakistan and al  Qaeda to look at this solution and put the American side to a  real test of the extent of its sincerity in achieving peace with  the Muslim world,” Derbala told Reuters.

“I consider this a chance to reveal the truth about Barack  Obama before the people,” he said, adding these organisations  should open up to talks with the United States and declare they  have “no need to kill American civilians.“

Al Qaeda’s second-in-command is Ayman al-Zawahri, an  Egyptian who urged his compatriots to reject “criminal” Obama  shortly before the president delivered his Cairo speech. Many Muslims who listened to Obama’s address welcomed the  change in tone from Washington but said they wanted to see more  specifics about how he would heal long-running sores that  include the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, a group that renounced violence  decades ago, said the speech was mainly for public relations.

Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiya waged an insurrection in the 1990s  that was crushed by the security forces and its members were  thrown in prison, from where leadership figures such as Derbala  renounced violence. Derbala was freed with many others in 2006