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CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, said it would begin talks Sunday with the government to try to end the country's nearly 2-week-old political crisis but made clear it would insist on President Hosni Mubarak's immediate ouster.

The decision by the fundamentalist Islamic group, which has been outlawed since 1954 but fields candidates as independents, comes as Egypt's leadership seeks to defuse mass demonstrations — now in their 13th day — by proposing reforms but stopping short of the protesters' key demand that Mubarak step down.

The Brotherhood was not among the forces behind the protests, the largest since a 1919 uprising against British colonial rule. It only ordered its supporters to take part when it sensed that the protesters, mostly young men and women using social networks on the Internet to mobilize, were able to sustain their momentum.

These youth groups have said they were not planning to negotiate with the regime until Mubarak stepped down, but are in contact with politicians and public figures who are talking to the government.

The talks between the Brotherhood and the regime would be the first known discussions between the two sides in years — marking a startling shift in policy after years of crackdowns by the Western-backed regime against the Islamists. It also raised the possibility the group could be on its way to official recognition of its key role in Egyptian society.

The Brotherhood said in a statement that its representatives would meet with Vice President Omar Suleiman to press its "legitimate and just demands." Suleiman has accused the Brotherhood, businessmen and foreigners he did not identify as being behind a wave of looting and arson that swept much of the country last weekend after security forces inexplicably withdrew from the streets.

Silent footage on state TV showed senior Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mursi seated at a large conference table along with opposition leaders and public figures. Suleiman was shown seated at the head of the table.