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Tagammu dissents

THE OUTLAWED Muslim Brotherhood is moving ahead with plans to formulate a multi-party committee to address issues of political reform -- despite the group's failure to rally the leftist Tagammu Party into backing the plan.

The 5 August meeting between the Brotherhood's deputy supreme guide and a Tagammu delegation, headed by party chairman Rifaat El-Said, ended without the two sides agreeing on the Brotherhood-proposed initiative for political reform.

Tagammu sources said the party was not ready to recognise the Brotherhood initiative, before clearing up some of the long-standing ideological differences it has had with the banned group. A party statement issued shortly after the meeting indicated that although the party would not turn down any requests for dialogue -- even if there were potential ideological differences -- it ruled out the possibility of forming political alliances with parties or groups whose ideologies go against the party line. The statement, however, did not rule out what it described as "coordinated efforts on certain issues of consensus".

Tagammu Party statutes ban any member from forming, or engaging in, political alliances with any religious- based political group.

Brotherhood members told the Weekly that while they were seeking out threads that would unite the Egyptian opposition -- in order to better confront the challenges at stake -- the Tagammu Party was only concerned with "what separated us".

More details of the Brotherhood's plan, meanwhile, have been emerging. Aiming to bring together some 50 political figures from across the spectrum -- including communists, independents, Wafdists, Nasserists and the Brotherhood -- the resulting preparatory committee would be called the "50- person committee".

Although the Tagammu statement described the move as "hasty", the Brotherhood's deputy supreme guide Mohamed Habib said the plan would continue to be pursued, as further meetings are held between the Brotherhood and communists and other forces. "We will continue with our efforts to form this committee, and if the Tagammu wants to join ranks, it will have a place. But if it does not, then all the other forces will close ranks," Habib told the Weekly.

In the balance

DESPITE rumours that emerged earlier this week that the charges against Mamdouh Hamza in the UK would be dropped, the renowned engineering consultant remained incarcerated as the Weekly went to press. Hamza was arrested upon his arrival in London on 12 July to attend the Queen's birthday party at Buckingham Palace; he was charged with four counts of soliciting to murder.

The Middle East News Agency had quoted unidentified sources as saying that Hamza's file was being presented to the British prosecutor this week, along with a recommendation that Hamza be released. Previous reports had indicated that the evidence against Hamza would be released to his lawyers on 18 August.

Hamza, in the meantime, was visited earlier this week at Belmarsh Prison by his wife Omayma Hatem, as well as Ismail Khayrat, the Egyptian consul in London, Ambassador Mohamed Shaker, the head of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, and Osama El-Ghazali Harb, a council member and editor of Al-Siyassa Al-Dawliya (International Politics) magazine.

Although there are worries regarding his diabetes, Hamza is reported to be in good spirits.

Back in Cairo, Housing Minister Ibrahim Suleiman -- who, it has been alleged, may have had a hand in Hamza's arrest -- remained the target of criticism in the local press. Although Suleiman's office threatened to pursue legal action with the aim of imprisoning journalists linking him to the Hamza case, most of the press stood its ground. Al-Ahram, for one, called on the minister to "issue a public and transparent explanation of the deals obtained by a contracting company -- which is said to be owned by one of his relatives -- if he is convinced that all of the contracts they received were legal, and are not tainted by graft".

Hamza heads Hamza Associates, one of the largest engineering consultancy firms in the Middle East, and has been the consultant for such mega projects as the award-winning Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the lifting stations at Toshka, and the Ein Al-Sokhna Port.

Divers rescued

TWELVE divers were found alive in the Red Sea on Sunday after having disappeared from sight for 30 hours during a diving trip near the small island of Al- Akhawein off the coast of Al-Quseir, a resort 800km south of Cairo.

The 12 European divers -- five Britons, five Portuguese and two Belgians -- ended up being swept several kilometres away from their boat by extremely strong currents.

A full-scale emergency search effort ensued, involving 10 vessels, a private helicopter and Egyptian navy personnel. Alerts were also sent to all the ships in the area.

A boat spotted the divers and alerted an army search helicopter. Police sources said the divers were "found in good health", but were taken to a military hospital for a "routine examination".

The five Britons then wasted no time resuming their diving activities.

The Red Sea Association for Diving and Watersports, meanwhile, is launching an investigation into the incident.