President Mohamed Morsy has no intentions to reinstate the dissolved Parliament, presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali said Monday. Ali said the parliamentary elections would be held within two months of the completion of the new constitution.
GOVERNMENT
Morsi issues decree appointing new leadership to the Air Defense, Air Force, and Navy
[Al Masry Al Youm (Arabic), 8/14/2012] Dr. Yasser Ali, spokesman for President Morsi, said on Tuesday that Morsi had just issued a decree to appoint staff officer Major General Bayoumi Abdel-Moneim as commander of the Air Defense Forces, and Major General Ahmed Ahmed Osama al-Guindy, commander of the Naval Forces. The spokesman added in a press statement that the new appointments also include staff officer Major General Yunis al-Sayyid Hamid as commander of the Egyptian Air Force.
Morsy has no intentions to reinstate Parliament, spokesperson says
[Egypt Independent, El Watan (Arabic), 8/14/2012] President Mohamed Morsy has no intentions to reinstate the dissolved Parliament, presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali said Monday. Ali said the parliamentary elections would be held within two months of the completion of the new constitution. Mohamed Fouad Jadallah, legal adviser to President Mohamed Morsy, confirmed this stance and explained the legal reasoning behind Morsi’s decisions in an interview with El Watan.
President Morsi set to issue second wave of pardons to free civilians sentenced by military
[Ahram Online, 8/14/2012] President Mohamed Morsi is expected to issue on Tuesday a presidential decree to pardon around 150 civilians who were tried and convicted in military courts on civilian-related crimes, according to Al-Ahram Arabic-language news portal. The President based his decision for a second wave of pardons on the recommendation of the Civil Rights Protection committee, recently drawn up by Morsi to look into all cases of civilians detained by military authorities.
CONSTITUTION
Morsi’s changes are ‘legally faulty: Judge Tarek El-Bishri
[Ahram Online, Shorouk (Arabic), 8/14/2012] Islamist oriented Judge Tarek El-Bishri, who headed the committee that drafted the March 2011 Constitutional Declaration, came out against President Mohamed Morsi’s recent constitutional decisions, stressing that "Morsi holds no authority to issue constitutional decrees." In an interview with the independent daily Al-Shorouk on Monday, the prominent judge described Morsi’s Constitutional Declaration as "an acceptance of the SCAF’s amendments to the March declaration," which the judge described as "illegitimate."
SOCIETY
Zabaleen sidelined by Morsy’s ‘clean homeland’ campaign
[Egypt Independent, 8/14/2012] A major irritation to members of the Spirit of Youth — an NGO formed by Manshiyet Nasser residents and garbage collectors several years ago to represent the zabaleen and ensure the maintenance of their residences — when Morsy’s “Clean Homeland” campaign coordinators ditched their meetings and ignored their calls for discussions and ideas on how to address the city’s severe waste problems. “[The campaign] is political propaganda,” says Ezzat Naiem, director of the Spirit of Youth. “They don’t really want to fix Egypt’s waste problems, or discuss how to dispose of the mountains of waste that ends up in zabaleen villages, they want pictures of young Egyptians with brooms for the campaign.”
SECURITY
Sinai Tribes Support Security Operations in Sinai
[Daily News Egypt, 8/14/2012] The Minister of Interior Ahmed Gamal el-Deen held a closed meeting with Bedouin tribal leaders and prominent tribal figures of North Sinai in the security directorate in Areesh, North Sinai on Thursday. The tribal leaders promised to support the Egyptian army and the Ministry of Interior in their joint crackdowns on terrorism in Sinai, with the goal of restoring and maintaining security in the peninsula. Reports stated that during the meeting, the Minister of the Interior urged the leaders to defend their land against terrorism by cooperating with the security forces. He also said that the Ministry of the Interior is ready to consider legalizing the situation of those who wish to obtain personal weapons in Sinai.
ECONOMY
World Bank approves $200 mln loan for Egypt’s SMEs
[Ahram Online, 8/14/2012] The World Bank approves a $200 million loan to fund Egypt’s small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) through the Social Development Fund, Minister of Finance Momtaz El-Saeed announced on Tuesday. El-Saeed and World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Inger Andersen worked out the deal, which is the first World Bank loan under the recently-elected President Mohamed Morsi. The Muslim Brotherhood candidate won in June, a year and a half after Egypt’s revolution began and ousted then-president Hosni Mubarak.
REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
US to retain close ties with Egypt’s military, Panetta to soon call Sisi
[Egypt Indpendent, Al Masry Al Youm (Arabic), 8/14/2012] The US military expects to maintain close ties with Egypt’s armed forces despite the dismissal of the country’s powerful defense minister, a spokesperson said Monday. "We had expected President [Mohamed] Morsy at some point to coordinate changes in the military leadership, to name a new team," Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters. Spokesman for President Morsi, however, called any coordination with the US a “fabrication,” stressing that his decisions were for the country and to inject new blood into the military.
Rafah border crossing opened in both directions
[Egypt Indpendent, Shorouk (Arabic), 8/14/2012] Egyptian authorities have opened the Rafah border crossing in both directions on Tuesday. This is the first time the border is opened in both directions since a deadly attack on a military checkpoint in Rafah killed 16 Egyptian security officers. On Friday, the border was opened from Egypt into Gaza. At 10 am 50 persons arrived in Egypt from Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency. The Interior Ministry in Gaza said in a statement that only those who have residency in Egypt and sick Palestinians could enter Egypt.
Photo: AP
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