Excerpts: Drafting Egypt's new constitution. Egypt's 'legal web'. Russia
pushes for conference including Iran. Iran,Hizbullah provide Syrian
assistance. GCC $5 billion support for Jordan. International convoy aim to
break Israel's blockade of Gaza 10 June 2012
+++SOURCE: Egypt Daily News 10 June'12:"'Updated: Broad satisfaction over
Egypt's Constituent Assembly deal"
SUBJECT: Drafting Egypt's new consitution.
QUOTE:"agreement on (party) composition . . .tasked with drafting Egypt's
new constitution"
FULL TEXT:Prominent political parties and figures expressed satisfaction at
Thursday's[7 June] agreement on the composition of the Constituent Assembly
(CA) tasked with drafting Egypt's new constitution.
The drafting process had ground to a halt for two months due to disagreement
on the assembly's membership.
During a press conference Saturday[8 June], Parliament Speaker Saad
El-Katatni thanked all parties who contributed to the CA agreement, seeing
it as an assurance of a mutual understanding that would work in the favour
of the people's needs following the January 25 Revolution.
The liberal Free Egyptians Party, known for its vocal criticism of Islamist
groups, said Friday[8 June] that the party was optimistic that a consensus
had been reached over the assembly's membership.
The moderate Islamist Al-Wasat Party also expressed optimism over the final
agreement, saying that such positive steps could help bring a patriotic
presidential candidate to power in the face of the former regime.
Both Al-Wasat and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party praised the Reform
and Development Party for giving up two per cent of its share in the CA — a
move that helped overcoming negotiation difficulties.
The Egyptian Social Democratic Party added that its withdrawal, along with
other liberal parties, from the CA, in protest at the attempts of Islamists
to dominate the body, is what saved the assembly from being imbalanced.
Liberal and leftist members withdrew from the constitution-drafting assembly
in March.
Parliamentarian Mostafa El-Naggar expressed his content with the final
agreement on his Twitter account, describing the agreement as "fair" and a
"break of light in the darkness."
Amr Moussa, who came fifth in the presidential election first round, said
the outcome of the negotiations was a positive step.
After nearly seven hours of heated negotiations Wednesday, it was agreed
that 39 of the 100 seats on the assembly would be designated to political
parties, of which the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP)
would hold 16; the Salafist El-Nour Party eight; the liberal Wafd Party
five; the Free Egyptians Party two; the Egyptian Social Democratic Party
two; and one each for the moderate-Islamist Wasat Party, the Nasserist
Karama Party, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the liberal Reform and
Development Party and the Islamist Building and Development Party
:
+++SOURCE: Associated Press via Egypt Daily News 10 June'12:"Egypt's
political future tangled in legal web",By HAMZA HENDAWI SUBJECT: Egypt's
'legal web'
QUOTE:"Egypt's newly elected parliament could be dissolved, the presidenial
election may have to be abandoned, etc"
FULL TEXT:CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's newly elected parliament could be dissolved,
the presidential election may have to be abandoned and the country's new
constitution has yet to be drafted.
Sixteen months after Hosni Mubarak was swept out of office by a popular
uprising, Egypt's political future is tangled in a thick web of court cases
and bitter public squabbles. How everything is straightened out will be the
difference between an end to military rule by July 1 as scheduled or a
return to square one of a turbulent transition, a prospect that is certain
to unleash a fresh wave of turmoil and bloodshed.
"Court decisions will raise a million questions. What we are seeing now is
political messiness," said Sobhi Saleh, a lawmaker from the Muslim
Brotherhood, the fundamentalist group that stands to lose the most if
parliament is dissolved and a Mubarak-era prime minister is confirmed as the
one going head-to-head against its uninspiring candidate in a presidential
runoff vote.
The vexing mix of politics and law comes less than two weeks ahead of the
presidential vote between Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, and
the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi on June 16-17. A winner will be declared
June 21. Morsi and Shafiq were the top vote-getters in a field of 13
candidates from the first round of voting last month. Already, Egyptians
living abroad have started voting in the runoff.
However a growing number of activists are embracing calls for cancelling the
entire election, despairing of the prospect of either the Brotherhood or a
diehard of the old regime ruling the country. Mohamed ElBaradei, the
nation's top reform leader, is one of them.
"Egyptians are not ready for elections when they are divided," the Nobel
Peace Laureate and former head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog told reporters
on Tuesday. "Elections should be the final stage of democracy, which we
don't yet have."
Only two days before the election, the Supreme Constitutional Court will
consider two cases that could potentially throw everything topsy-turvy once
again.
In one, it is reviewing a lower court's ruling that the law organizing
parliamentary elections late last year was unconstitutional. If the court
agrees, the current legislature — where the Brotherhood is the biggest party
with nearly half the seats — would be disbanded and Egyptians would have to
go back to the polls to choose a new one.
The other case is whether Shafiq can stay in the race or not. The court is
to rule on the validity of a "political exclusion" law passed by parliament
banning many former regime figures from running for office. If it backs the
law, Shafiq would have to drop out and the presidential election might have
to start all over again from scratch. Thousands of protesters in Cairo's
Tahrir Square every day this week demand the law be enacted to exclude
Shafiq.
Egypt's transition to democratic rule has been tempestuous since army
generals, led by Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years, took over from the
ousted leader in February last year. The country has taken one bad hit after
another: deadly protests, a sliding economy, crime surge and alleged rights
abuses by the military.
Adding another layer to the uncertainties is the 84-year-old Mubarak's
sharply deteriorating health after his sentencing last week to life in
prison along with his ex-security chief.
Security officials at Torah Prison, where Mubarak is held, said the former
president was suffering from high blood pressure, breathing problems and
depression. He had to be given oxygen throughout the night and until
Thursday morning, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Mubarak had been held in military hospitals from the time of his arrest in
April last year up until his sentencing.
The security officials said doctors treating Mubarak were debating whether
to transfer him to a better equipped hospital outside the penal system, a
move that would be seen by critics as another example of the generals
showing favoritism to their former mentor.
One sign of political progress came Thursday[7 June] when the generals and
22 political parties, including the Brotherhood's, agreed on how to select
the 100-member panel to draw up a new constitution, resolving a three-month
deadlock on the issue.
On Tuesday,[5 June] the military had threatened to issue its own blueprint
for the panel unless an agreement was reached within 48-hours — a step that
would have further inflamed accusations the generals are trying to dominate
the process.
Earlier in the year, the parliament selected a panel that was overwhelmingly
made up of Brotherhood members and other Islamists, who together make up 70
percent of the legislature. That prompted a walk-out by the few liberals and
secular figures on the body, and a court ruling disbanded the panel.
Under Thursday's agreement, Islamists will only take half of the panel's
seats, according to Mohammed Aboul Ghar, head of the liberal Egyptian Social
Democratic Party. Just over a third of its members would come from
parliament, while the rest would be legal experts and representatives of
unions, ministries and religious institutions, including the Coptic Church.
Constitutional articles would only be accepted by a 67 percent supermajority
vote, preventing Islamists from pushing though anything unilaterally.
Court rulings have since the ouster of Mubarak in February last year made
significant contributions to the nation's reshaping after 29 years of
authoritarian rule. Along with the disbanding of the constitutional panel,
courts dissolved Mubarak's ruling party, reversed the privatization of
several state-owned enterprises and convicted and sent to jail members of
the coteries of businessmen linked to the regime and who supported Mubarak's
succession by his son Gamal.
The cases to be heard on June 14 by the Supreme Constitutional Court could
even more heavily shake the transition.
According to leaks in the Egyptian media Thursday[7 June], a body of legal
experts recommended to the court that it rule the law governing
parliamentary elections was illegal — meaning a new election would have to
be held. The issue lies in the argument that it was unfair for the law to
allow parties to run candidates in the third of the seats set aside for
independent candidates. The other two-thirds of the seats were earmarked for
party lists.
The same expert body recommended to the court that it rule the "political
exclusion" law unconstitutional, meaning Shafiq can still run for president.
The court is not required to follow the experts' recommendations.
After parliament passed the law, the election commission referred it to the
constitutional court, allowing Shafiq to stay in the race while the tribunal
looked into it.
Legal expert Mohammed Hassanein Abdel-Al said another option for the court
is to rule that the election commission acted improperly when it referred
the law for a ruling, in which case Shafiq could be thrown out of the race.
"It is very hard to predict what the judge would do," said Abdel-Al, who
lectures on constitutional law at Cairo University. "There are no precedents
related to the exclusion law
+++SOURCE: Egyptian Gazette 10 June '12:"Syria army shells towns, Russia
lobbies conference", Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Russia pushes for conference including Iran re Syria
QUOTES:"Russia pushed the idea of an international conference including
Iran" ; "Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov added Russia would be 'glad' to
support Assad's departure but only if Syrians themselves agreed on it"
EXCERPTS: DAMASCUS - Army shelling and gunfire killed at least 28 civilians
in protest towns on Saturday, a watchdog said, as Russia pushed its idea of
an international conference including Iran to end the bloodshed in Syria.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also stressed that Moscow would "not
sanction the use of force at the United Nations Security Council." . . .
, UN observers who visited the village of Al-Kubeir, where at least 55
people were killed earlier this week, said they saw blood on the walls and
"a strong stench of burnt flesh."
The Al-Kubeir incident prompted Western governments to launch a push for
tough new sanctions against Damascus. But Russia, along with China, has
already vetoed two Security Council resolutions against Assad.
In another development, Russia pushed the idea of an international
conference on the more than 15-month-old crisis in Syria, with the Arab
state's ally Iran also given a place at the table despite US opposition.
"We want this event to be effective," Lavrov told reporters.
"To say that Iran doesn't have a place because it is already to blame for
everything and it's part of the problem and not part of the solution, this
is thoughtless to say the least from the point of view of serious
diplomacy."
Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, has called Iran a
"spoiler" and said it is "part of the problem in Syria." The United States
has accused Iran of arming Assad's forces.
Russia has said a conference on Syria was needed to overcome differences
over how the peace plan of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan should be
implemented.
Lavrov said permanent UN Security Council members Russia, the United States,
France, Britain and China, Syria's neighbours including Lebanon and Jordan,
as well as the European Union and Arab League should take part in the
conference.
Moscow wants to hold the forum "as soon as possible", Lavrov said, without
elaborating.
He again reaffirmed Russian opposition to the use of force. "We will not
sanction the use of force at the United Nations Security Council," he said.
Lavrov added that Moscow would be "glad" to support Assad's departure but
only if Syrians themselves agreed on it
SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 10 June '12:"Netanyahu Links Iran and Hizbullah
to Syria Massacres"
+++SUBJECT: Iran,Hizbullah provide Syrian assistance
QUOTE:" Israeli P.M. Netanyahu linked the massacres in Syria to Iran and
Hizbullah"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked on Sunday the massacres in
Syria to Iran and Hizbullah, accusing them of providing Syrian President
Bashar Assad with assistance.
"It's not just the Syrian government. It is being aided by Iran and
Hizbullah," Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet session about the
massacre of hundreds of civilians in several towns in Syria.
The world must recognize the axis of evil confronting the region: Iran,
Syria and Hizbullah, he said.
"This axis is rearing its ugly head," Netanyahu told the cabinet, "and the
world must understand that this is the region we live in."
Also on Sunday, a senior Israeli minister accused Assad of committing
genocide in his crackdown on a 15-month uprising.
Vice Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz also criticized Russia for arming Damascus
and repeated Israel's demand for international military intervention to
topple Assad, akin to last year's campaign in Libya.
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 10 June '12:" Qatar to pay $1.5 billion to Jordan
through GCC fund --Hassan Gulf country interested in supporting Kingdom's
priority projects"by Laila Azzeh
SUBJECT: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) $5 billion support for Jordan
QUOTE: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar decided to extend $5 billion
over a five-year period to support development schemes in Jordan"
FULL TEXT:AMMAN — Qatar has pledged to pay its $1.25 billion contribution to
the Gulf fund to Jordan soon, a senior official said on Saturday.
The fund was allocated by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) during last
year’s summit to support development projects in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar decided to extend $5 billion over a
five-year period to support development schemes in Jordan. Each GCC nation
will pay $1.25 billion.
“Qatar has shown interest in supporting projects in the field of energy,
health and transport,” said Minister of Planning and International
Cooperation Jafar Hassan, who paid a recent visit to Qatar.
On the sidelines of the opening of the second meeting of the Arab Planning
Institute’s (API) board of trustees, he noted that the Qatari side will
support “projects of priority” to Jordan and those listed in the state
budget.
“Among projects Qatar is keen to support is the gas storage terminal
scheme,” Hassan highlighted, adding that most of these projects will be
funded through grants that enable the public sector, including local and
foreign investors, to invest in these ventures.
Hassan announced earlier that a meeting will be held soon for senior GCC
officials this month to endorse an action plan for funding the projects and
agree on a mechanism to fund projects implemented in Jordan.
The minister also indicated that the government has prepared a list of
priority projects, which was endorsed by the Cabinet lately.
Priority development projects listed on the 2012 budget are worth around
JD400 million, he said, adding that more development ventures will be listed
in the upcoming budgets, including renewable energy, health and education.
Addressing the API meeting, Hassan said the aftermath of the global
financial crisis requires developing programmes to improve democracy and
good governance.
He added that these mechanisms should engage society in formulating its
economic and political future to ensure political security.
He pointed out that the state of political and economic insecurity in the
region is caused by challenges posed by unemployment and poverty, in
addition to the lack of food security and energy resources in light of the
growing population.
Stressing the importance of the role played by the private sector in the
development process, Hassan said the concept of economic growth should be
extended to include citizens’ quality of life and ensure that development
gains are justly distributed.
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for
Planning and Development Affairs Fadhel Safar Ali Safar said the API 2012/13
plan, which was discussed in a closing session, reflects an “understanding
of the development challenges and risks facing the Arab world, which we
should learn from”.
“The first periodical report on development in the Arab world will be
published this year [2012/13]. The board has decided to issue this report as
an alternative to the Arab competitiveness report…,” Safar, who is also
chairman of the API board, highlighted.
The API is a non-profit regional organisation whose primary mission is to
advance economic and social development in Arab countries through training,
research, consultancy, expert exchange and publications
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 10 June '12:"Solidarity delegation departs for
Gaza",by Raed Omari
SUBJECT:"International convoy aim to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza
QUOTE:"Activists from Tunisia, Morocco, Bahrain, Jordan, Algeria, France,
Poland and Britain are taking part in this year's Miles of Smiles aid convoy
to Gaza"
FULL TEXT:AMMAN — A Jordanian delegation comprising MPs, political
activists, popular movement leaders and representatives of the Islamist
movement left for the Gaza Strip on Saturday for a week-long solidarity
visit.
A member of the delegation, Karak Deputy Abdul Qader Habashneh, said the
visit is mainly meant to deliver a message of political support to the
besieged Palestinians in the coastal enclave.
“We want to express solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and tell them
‘you are not alone,’” Habashneh told The Jordan Times over the phone on
Saturday.
He also noted that the seven-day visit is part of an international aid
convoy to Gaza called “Miles of Smiles”, which aims at breaking Israel’s
illegal blockade.
“We also want to express our support for the efforts exerted to arrive at a
reconciliation among the Palestinian factions,” Habashneh said.
Activists from Tunisia, Morocco, Bahrain, Jordan, Algeria, France, Poland
and Britain are taking part in this year’s Miles of Smiles aid convoy to
Gaza.
Last year, Arab and foreign delegations in the Miles of Smiles convoy
donated $60,000 to support Jordan’s field hospital in Gaza and provided the
facility with a $40,000 electricity generator
============
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA
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