Newsreel

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Saleh boost

FOREIGN Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and General Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman were in the Yemeni capital for talks with President Ali Abdullah Saleh who faces a serious military rebellion in the south of Yemen. The Egyptian delegation offered support for Saleh's declared intention to hold a dialogue with the rebels on the basis of maintaining the country's territorial unity or to continue fighting the rebels for as long as it takes.

Later in the week, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa was in Sanaa, also for talks with Saleh. Moussa said Saleh promised to hold talks with all Yemeni factions in or outside the country "on the basis that any dialogue aims at maintaining Yemen's unity."

Moussa's visit coincided with massive demonstrations in the south by thousands of Yemenis who called on the Arab League to support the separation of the south.

Abdullah and Abdullah

ON TWO consecutive visits Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and General Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman conveyed messages to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and King Abdullah of Jordan on Cairo's recent efforts to deliver Palestinian national unity. In both capitals, Abul-Gheit and Suleiman sought support for intensive efforts aimed at getting Hamas and Fatah to sign the unity agreement. And, as one source suggested, in the two capitals the Egyptian delegation demanded that sustainable support by Damascus to this reconciliation be solicited.

Asmara visit

IN A RARE call, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and General Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman visited the Eritrian capital this week for talks on security in the Horn of Africa. An Egyptian official said Egypt has reason to be concerned over the proliferation of Islamist militants in the Horn of Africa and their infiltration inside Somalia.

Niqab off

THE GRAND Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi ordered a student to remove her face veil while he was visiting an Al-Azhar institute on the first day of the new academic year.

Tantawi was inspecting Al-Azhar's schools to check on measures in place to stem the spread of swine flu. He angrily asked the student to take off her niqab, arguing that the niqab is just a tradition and not an Islamic obligation. "The niqab has nothing to do with Islam. I know about religion better than you and your parents," the cleric was quoted as telling the student.

Tantawi then announced he will issue a decree banning students wearing the face veil from entering the schools of Al-Azhar.

A group of Al-Azhar scholars announced their total backing of Tantawi while another attacked the sheikh.