Egypt Thursday condemned a decision by the United States to suspend deliveries of major arms and cash assistance to the Egyptian government, despite assertions of continuing support for interim authorities.

GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION

Reconciliation initiative with Brothers remains murky
In statements to the privately-owned Al-Masry Al-Youm, jurist Ahmed Kamal Abul Magd said he had met with Amr Darrag and Mohamed Ali Beshr, of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and the Brotherhood, to discuss national reconciliation. Abul Magd said that he doesn’t expect a direct response from these figures, but for them to relay these messages to the group’s leadership. Abul Magd told Al-Masry Al-Youm that a general condition for possible negotiations is for the Brotherhood to give up their call for the reinstatement of President Mohamed Morsi. Meanwhile, in an interview with Al-Ahram’s weekly French newspaper Ahram Hebdo, Egypt’s presidential media advisor Ahmed al-Muslimany said “the first step towards reconciliation [with the Muslim Brotherhood] should be the end of violence and the recognition of the June 30 revolution.” Al-Muslimany also said he feared that the Muslim Brotherhood were ready to ruin the nation in order to regain power. Finally, presidential adviser Mostafa Hegazy asserted on Wednesday that there will be no political isolation for any Egyptians in the future. [Mada Masr, Ahram Online, Ahram Gate (Arabic), SIS, Tahrir (Arabic), 10/10/2013]

Islamists criticize Brotherhood’s continued call for protests
The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy has called for fresh protests on Friday. The demonstrations, which are planned to descend on Tahrir Square on Friday, will march under the slogan: “Tahrir is for all Egyptians.” Meanwhile, Islamist leadership and political parties criticized the Muslim Brotherhood calls for demonstrations in Tahrir Square on Friday. The head of jihad in Egypt Nabil Naeem said to Youm7 that the Muslim Brotherhood seeks to enter Tahrir Square to implement the instructions of the Muslim Brotherhood National Organization, which seeks to unsettle the stability and disrupt production. Meanwhile, in a recorded video broadcast by Al-Jazeera, Essam al-Erian heavily criticized the coup for forcing Egypt to accept aid from countries that do not want to see democracy in Egypt. He added that the free world governments only recognize democratically elected governments. [Egypt Independent, Cairo Post, Shorouk (Arabic), 10/10/2013]  

Also of Interest:
Sisi remains elusive on question of presidency | Mada Masr
Interview with Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi (part 1) | Egypt Independent
Brotherhood dissolution pleases some, angers others | Mada Masr
NSF: Alliance with Tamarod in parliamentary elections is not up for discussion | Cairo Post

COURTS & CONSTITUTION

Constitution to be passed to president end of November; 84 percent of Egyptians will vote on constitution
In press statement Wednesday, Amr Moussa, chairman of the fifty member committee mandated with finalizing Egypt’s new constitution, disclosed that the final draft of the constitution will be complete by the end of November. “After this, we will pass it to Interim President Adly Mansour to be put to a national referendum,” Moussa said. He added, “The new constitution will be modern, reflecting the requirements of the 21^st century, not to mention that it will be completely different from the 2012 Constitution.” Moussa also said there was no time to engage in the details concerning the National Salvation Front’s proposal to hold the presidential elections before the parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, discussions continue in the panel to finalize the constitution draft at the set time. Thirty children delegated by Egypt’s Coalition for Children’s Rights meet the societal dialogue sub-committee on Thursday, to present their demands regarding the charter and the protection of their rights. The panel has also yet to come to an agreement on the farmers and workers quota in the new constitution. Head of the Awareness Committee at the Justice Ministry Judge Wadea Hanna asserted that a commission to combat corruption should be formed in the new constitution, adding that the commission would coordinate between the control bodies over the cases of squandering the public funds. Interim President Adly Mansour issued a presidential decree on Wednesday appointing Abdel Fattah Ibrahim as the new representative of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) in the Constituent Panel. Ibrahim comes to replace former ETUF head Gebaly al-Maraghy. As the writing constitution process near to end, the latest opinion poll by the Egyptian Centre for Public Opinion Research (Baseera) indicates that only 12 percent of Egyptians reject the fifty member committee formed to amend the 2012 Constitution, with 84 percent intending to participate in the referendum that will follow submission of a final draft, Al-Ahram reports. Meanwhile, the Administrative Court has set October 29 as the date to review six claims demanding the dissolution of the committee. The lawsuit was filed by TV anchor Tawfiq Okasha and number of lawyers against the decision to form the committee, on the basis that it violates Article 29 of the constitutional declaration issued on July 28. The article states “all organs of society must be represented in the committee, and every organization should nominate its representatives.” [Cairo Post, SIS, Ahram Online, DNE, 10/10/2013]
 
Also of Interest:
Q&A: The trial of Egypt’s ousted President Morsi | AP
Court ruling banning Muslim Brotherhood to be reviewed October 22 | Shorouk (Arabic)   
Sixteen Brotherhood members detained on charges of burning Fayoum police station, monastery | Egypt Independent
Brotherhood seek judicial oversight on Medical Syndicate | Cairo Post

ECONOMY

Egypt plans new stimulus package in early 2014
Egypt plans a second stimulus package worth billions of dollars early next year, according to Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, trade and industry minister, as the government works to give people jobs and put money in their pockets during a tough political transition. The package will likely be equal to or larger than a 22.3 billion Egyptian pound ($3.2 billion) package announced in August. [Reuters, 10/10/2013]

Egypt’s annual urban inflation passes 10 percent in September: CAPMAS
Egypt’s annual urban inflation rose to 10.1 percent in the 12 months to September 2013, up from 9.7 percent recorded in year-to-August, figures from the Central Agency for Statistics and Mobilization (CAPMAS) showed Thursday. The overall annual inflation rate registered 11.1 percent in September. The CAPMAS report attributes the annual and monthly rise to food price hikes, including vegetables, which saw a 3.6 percent increase in cost, and poultry and meat, whose prices surged 3.4 percent. [Ahram Online, 10/10/2013]

Also of Interest:
Mahalla textile workers continue strike | Shorouk (Arabic), Tahrir (Arabic)
Ministry of Tourism says all tourist sites secured | Shorouk (Arabic)
Stock market unaffected by latest violence | Mada Masr

SOCIETY & MEDIA

Successive governments fail to implement social, economic justice: Egypt NGOs
In a joint report, fifty-seven Egyptian NGOs said successive governments have failed to implement the demands of the people regarding human dignity, social marginalization and justice. The report said authorities have not seized the opportunity to undertake important and necessary structural economic reforms amid political change. It also accused successive governments of ignoring “citizens’ legitimate demands,” and criticised the lack of transparency regarding the state’s economic policies. The report was sent to the United Nations’ committee on economic, social and cultural rights, ahead of Egypt’s annual presentation, which will take place in November. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights were among the NGOs to draft the report. [Ahram Online, DNE, 10/9/2013]

Activists arrested as Maspero march is prevented from entering Tahrir Square
A vigil held to commemorate the victims killed during the armed forces’ deadly attack on predominantly Coptic protesters two years ago, dubbed by the media as the Maspero Massacre, soon turned into a march which was prevented from entering Tahrir Square on Wednesday. Mustafa al-Haggary, spokesman of the 6 April movement, accused security forces of preventing protesters from entering the square and harassing them. He claimed that when protesters turned around to head back to Maspero, security forces began randomly attacking and arresting them. Al-Haggary claimed security forces attacked activists with teargas and birdshot. Qasr al-Nil prosecution is investigating six April 6 activists arrested in Tahrir on charges of rioting, public disorder and assaulting security officers. [DNE, Shorouk (Arabic), 10/10/2013]

Also of Interest:
Campaign calling on Sisi to run for president announces four millions signatures | Shorouk (Arabic), Ahram Gate (Arabic), Tahrir (Arabic)  
Egypt rights group demands report on Maspero massacre | Ahram Online
Tamarod has not settled on supporting a presidential candidate yet | Shorouk
Egypt satirist Bassem Youssef to return after long hiatus | Ahram Online
Ultras White Knights calls for protests Saturday | DNE
March in Fayoum to denounce security crackdowns | Egypt Independent

SECURITY

Four killed in multiple attacks in Egypt’s Sinai on Wednesday
Three army conscripts and one police conscript were killed Thursday morning in a car bomb attack targeting a security checkpoint in al-Rissa, south ofal-Arish. Another three improvised explosives devices went off in Sinai on Wednesday, one of them slightly injuring a top military commander, General Sayed Abdel Karim, the assistant commander of the Third Army. An explosion took place in the city of al-Hasna targeting a procession of vehicles from the Third Field Army, led by Commander Osama Askar. There were no substantial injuries as a result of the explosions. In the city of Rafah, another explosion targeting an armored police vehicle left four policemen injured with shrapnel wounds. Another explosive device was detonated in an empty government building in North Sinai. The explosion did not cause any injuries or fatalities. Meanwhile, the armed forces announced the arrest of seven Takfirist elements in Sinai, as well as the seizure of dozens of arms and bombs. [Ahram Online, DNE, AP, Shorouk (Arabic), Tahrir (Arabic), SIS, AMAY (Arabic), 10/10/2013]

Also of Interest:
Tight security measures around Cairo University amidst fear of Brotherhood protests | Egypt Independent

REGIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Cairo condemns Washington for suspending military aid
Egypt Thursday condemned a decision by the United States to suspend deliveries of major arms and cash assistance to the Egyptian government, despite assertions of continuing support for interim authorities. Washington said on Wednesday in a press statement that it had halted deliveries of large-scale military systems, as well as $260 million in cash aid to the Egyptian military, amid concerns over the country’s democratic transition and mounting violence following the ouster of Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi. But the State Department said it would not cut off all aid and would continue military support for counterterrorism, counter-proliferation and security in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders US ally Israel. Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman lashed out at the move, despite it being “temporary and entailing no cut or reduction of aid,” and “was accompanied by US assertions of keeping up support for Egypt’s transitional government.” Secretary of State John Kerry says the decision by the United States to slash aid to Egypt will not have much impact in the country. He said that “by no means” was the decision a withdrawal from relations. He says it should not be seen as severing Washington’s commitment to help, and that the United States will consider resuming aid “on the basis of performance” that encourages democracy through elections. Meanwhile, Israel hopes the US decision to cut aid to Egypt will not affect the two countries’ historic peace deal, a Cabinet minister said Thursday, insisting that Israeli-Egyptian ties remain as close as ever. In a thirty minute phone call with Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel underlined the importance of maintaining relations between Cairo and Washington to back stability and security not only for Egypt and the United States but for the entire Middle East region, a US administration official said. Finally, Tamarod has called for the suspension of the Camp David Peace Treaty in response to the US decision. [Ahram Online, Reuters, AP, Cairo Post, Shorouk, Egypt Independent, 10/10/2013]

Also of Interest:
UAE to try thirty Emirati, Egypt Islamists on November 5 | DNE