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By Mona El-Nahhas

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Nothing new

FOR THE FOURTH time, the Shura Council's Political Parties Committee turned down the application papers for founding the new Wasat Party. The committee on Monday cited the lack of a distinguished programme as the reason behind the rejection. "The programme does not add anything new to political life in Egypt. It's nothing but a repetition of all existing party programmes," the committee said.

Attempts to officially register the party began in 1996 when a group of politicians, led by Abul-Ela Madi, broke from the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and formed a moderate Islamist party with liberal leanings. The party includes half a dozen Coptic Christians and 44 women. The party's application was turned down in 1996, 1998 and 2006.

Interviewed by Al-Ahram Weekly, Madi said the stance adopted by the committee shows clearly that the state is not serious in applying political reform, adding that rejecting the party was an attempt to implant despair, frustration and negativity. "The reasons behind rejecting the party are sarcastic and illogical," Madi said, noting that he attached with the party programme a report recently issued by the State Council hailing the programme and calling upon the committee to approve it.

According to political analysts, the state is apparently concerned that the party would be a front for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most powerful opposition group.

Egyptian soldier shot

ISRAELI soldiers on Monday shot an Egyptian Central Security conscript while on duty in Northern Sinai border area.

Israeli military officials said Mohamed Abdel-Salam, 21, was mistaken for an enemy infiltrator. Abdel-Salam, wounded in the chest, was taken to Arish General Hospital and was later transferred to a Cairo hospital. A joint Israeli- Egyptian team is investigating the shooting.

Tourists missing

FOUR Russian tourists have gone missing while scuba-diving in the Red Sea near Qusseir south of the Egyptian resort of Hurghada, Tourism Ministry officials said on Monday.

The four were reported missing after a six-hour search by several boats and a helicopter.

Egyptian authorities used boats in the area to mount a large scale search and broadcast radio appeals to nearby ships to help out.

The four Russians were among a party of six tourists who went diving. The other two resurfaced safely, officials said.

In May, a young German tourist drowned while diving in Dahab in the south east of the Sinai peninsula.

Five Russians, a Dutchman and an Egyptian lost their lives in two incidents in the same area in 2007.

Compiled by Mona El-Nahhas