Focus on civil rights

EGYPT will soon create its first National Council on Human Rights (NCHR) as part of its civil rights reform programme. President Hosni Mubarak chaired a meeting yesterday to discuss three draft laws: the first framing the inception of the NCHR, the second abolishing hard labour sentences and the third eliminating state security courts. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, Minister of Justice Farouk Seif El-Nasr and Minister of the Interior Habib El-Adli. The proposed laws were drafted recently by the Policy Secretariat of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and are expected to pass into law before the current parliamentary session goes into recess. Also at the meeting were Information Minister Safwat El-Sherif, NDP secretary-general, and NDP Deputy Secretary-General Kamal El-Shazli, who is also the minister for parliamentary affairs. The draft laws will be presented to the cabinet soon, and then to the People's Assembly, according to El-Sherif.

Bridging the gender gap

LAYING the cornerstone of the first school to be built under the auspices of the Girls Education Initiative in Fayoum on Thursday, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak said that Egyptian women have contributed greatly to the building of the nation and that today, after achieving major improvements vis-à-vis the status of women, "we can be proud" of the numerous achievements in the field of women's education.

"We are gathered here today to embark on a new and confident step towards achieving our great national project, which is developing the educational system, of which girls' education is one of the most important areas," Mrs Mubarak said.

The main aim of the Girls Education Initiative, she said, was to close the educational gender gap by the year 2005. The first phase of the initiative aims to draw six million girls between the ages of six and 14 into the educational system in the seven governorates with the largest educational gap, namely Fayoum, Beheira, Beni Sueif, Minya, Assiut, Sohag and Giza.

After inaugurating the elementary school in Ezbat Safar, Mrs Mubarak then laid the cornerstone of the new branch of the National Council for Women in Fayoum on a plot of land donated by the governorate.

Diplomatic efforts

THE NEWLY appointed Palestinian State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nabil Shaath, visited Cairo on Monday on his first official visit since the formation of the new Palestinian government, headed by Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. Shaath, reports Soha Abdelaty , was met by President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher for talks over the latest developments regarding the implementation of the roadmap, which Israel has so far rejected and the Palestinians have accepted.

Shaath told reporters after his meeting with Maher that he briefed Egyptian officials on the results of the meeting between Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas (aka, Abu Mazen) and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Maher added that the two sides took the opportunity to discuss the revival of the Egyptian-Palestinian joint commission and widening the scope of cooperation between the two sides.

Shaath also told reporters at a press conference with Maher that Mubarak had affirmed Cairo's support for Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and "the necessity of his freedom of movement and his remaining free from harm, particularly since Arafat is in the best position to provide support for the government of Mr Abbas". This reiteration of Cairo's support for the Palestinian leader comes hot on the heels of reports that Sharon has once again voiced his desire to expel Arafat from the West Bank. Sharon postponed a trip to Washington, scheduled for 20 May, after a suicide bombing on Saturday in Jerusalem, where he was expected to brief the Bush administration on his reservations regarding the roadmap.

Shaath also dismissed reports about divisions among Palestinian factions, especially after ex-Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat's resignation on Sunday. "The Palestinians will not be led into a war between their different factions, and the Palestinian-Palestinian dialogue will continue," he said on Monday.

Cairo, which hosted the factions' dialogue last January, is currently making efforts to revive the talks, as well as trying to include Syria in the discussions.

Security tightened

FOLLOWING the wave of attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco, Egyptian authorities have upgraded security, not only around embassies and vital facilities, but also around land, sea and air points of entry. Although the heavy-handed security measures implemented in recent years have made it unlikely that a new wave of Islamist violence will erupt in the country, security officials are determined to take no chances.

As part of these security measures, plain-clothes policemen have been deployed at hotels, tourist sites, mooring posts for the floating restaurants on the Nile, and around Cairo's Khan Al-Khalili bazaar, a major tourism site. Police are also monitoring the residences of diplomats and foreigners.

Although security forces had been on high alert even before the start of the war on Iraq, security has been intensified over the past few days.

Commenting on the latest attacks, the banned Muslim Brotherhood said that suicide bombings targeting innocent civilians do not conform with the teachings of Islam. In a statement issued by the group, the Muslim Brotherhood said these attacks have been carried out by "some countries" -- ostensibly the United States and Israel -- to illustrate the chaotic nature of Muslim states, thereby providing a pretext for forcing their hegemony upon, or even occupying, these countries.

Photography restriction

THE SUPREME Council of Antiquities (SCA) has introduced a ban on photography in all painted tombs, notably at Saqqara, Deir Al-Medina and in the Valley of the Kings, reports Jill Kamil. "Tourists can take photographs outside the tombs free of charge," said Secretary-General Zahi Hawass, "but photography is strictly forbidden inside tombs and museums. This is essential in order to protect the monuments. The humidity in the tombs increases drastically when there are a lot of visitors; this is detrimental to the tombs."

His decision, however, appears to be affecting tourism already. "I planned a trip for October, but I'll cancel if I can't take pictures," said Thierry Benderitter of the United Kingdom.

"It is my responsibility to do everything I can to protect the treasures of Egypt," Hawass told Al-Ahram Weekly when asked whether the Tourist Development Authority (TDA) had been advised of the new measures.

"I wrote to them six months ago informing them of the ban. I also told them that I have created and implemented site management projects at all of Egypt's major sites." This includes, he continued, rotating admission to the tombs and Pyramids. One monument at a time will be closed for conservation and restoration purposes. "We have limited the number of visitors per day to the Great Pyramid and the beautiful tomb of Nefertari in Luxor."

Diving connection

ON 14 MAY Marsa Alam International Airport received its first scheduled British charter flight from the Astraeus airline, which operates its Boeing 737-700 from London Gatwick airport, reports Rehab Saad.

"During the last half of 2002 we had 265 diving trips leaving Port Ghalib," said James Pringle, chief executive of the Marsa Alam Kharafi Group's developments in the Marsa Alam area. "These were mostly international divers from Italy, Germany, Switzerland and France, taking dive boats for 6-day diving safaris to some of the world's best dive sites. From today on we look forward to receiving British charters."

The Port Ghalib International Marina, a five-minute drive from Marsa Alam International Airport, opened in June 2002. Port Ghalib operates as a departure point for on-board residential dive boats sailing directly to the Red Sea marine parks of Daedalus Reef, Brother's Island, Zabargad Island and Rocky Island.

Yassin Oweiss, managing director of Diving World, UK, pointed out that, "there is now a significantly valuable new Red Sea product on the market for divers, which is the simple connection between Marsa Alam International Airport and Port Ghalib -- in just a few minutes our divers can be off the plane and on the boat and then off to the great dive sites of the southern Red Sea."

According to Pringle, the 2003 spring season has witnessed an increase in flights.

"With our Marsa Alam International Airport operated by Aeroport de Paris, the Port Ghalib International Marina, a range of facilities devoted to divers and direct access to Egypt's treasured marine parks, we are set to become the real dive and yachting centre of the South Red Sea," said Pringle.

Compiled by Shaden Shehab

Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 22 - 28 May 2003 (Issue No. 639)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/639/eg8.htm