Archive for Yasser Ali

Former VP: NSF will participate in next round of national dialogue

by admin
January 1st, 2013

Former Vice President Mahmoud Mekky said Tuesday that eight representative of the National Salvation Front (NSF) will participate in the next round of the national dialogue.

Presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali had said earlier that the seventh round of the dialogue is set for 9 January, and will discuss amendments to provisions of the new constitution proposed by various political parties, movements, public figures, unions, associations and universities. The discussions are set to be a prelude to a document that will be presented to the president, who will then forward it to the incoming parliament for discussion in its first session.

Saturday is the deadline for accepting suggestions for changes, Ali added.

The NSF announced Monday its readiness for dialogue with the presidency.

“We assured the mediation committee [formed by the presidency] that we are ready for dialogue with the presidency immediately to set rules and an agenda. We submitted names of [our] representatives and informed the mediators as well as Mekky, who said he would respond to the request. However, we have received no response so far,” NSF member Wahid Abdel Meguid said.

Mekky said he will voluntarily moderate the dialogue, even though he resigned from his post in December, in a bid to reach a genuine reconciliation between all political forces. “I feel it is a fruitful dialogue,” he said. “We would not have come up with the elections law without it.”

“I will continue to invite all forces boycotting the dialogue,” he added, and “we took their remarks into consideration even though they did not attend."

President Mohamed Morsy's controversial constitutional declaration, through which he claimed sweeping powers, spurring mass protests and violent confrontations, was  later revoked. The NSF itself was born out of a complete rejection of Morsy's decisions, and united opposition and civil forces under one entity.

Mekky says the cancellation of the declaration was achieved through the dialogue, "something blood could not have done."

The NSF had not participated in these talks, and had continued its protests even after the declaration was cancelled, in protest of the rushed approval of the draft constitution as well as the snap referendum announced by Morsy.  

"We also agreed to suggestions for the Shura Council appointments," he added.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Egypt limits travelers leaving country to US$10,000 in cash

by admin
December 25th, 2012

Egypt has banned travelers from carrying more than US$10,000 in foreign currency cash in or out of the country, as officials worry over pressure on its pound currency and a rush by Egyptians to withdraw their savings from banks.

Political turmoil over the past month has raised fears among ordinary citizens that the government — which has pushed back talks to seal IMF funding till January — may not be able to get its fragile finances under control.

The Central Bank has spent more than $20 billion of its foreign reserves to support the pound since the popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in early 2011. It now has only $15 billion, which is equal to only about three months of imports cover.

Presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali on Tuesday confirmed the government decision, which includes US dollars or their equivalent in other foreign currencies. The decision also forbids sending cash through the mail.

The decision prohibits all travelers from "bringing foreign currency into the country or carrying it out to only $10,000."

Any funds over $10,000 must be transferred electronically, Ali added.

Previously, travelers were simply required to declare any amounts above $10,000 to authorities on their way in or out.

Bankers say depositors had been withdrawing greater amounts of cash from their accounts since President Mohamed Morsy issued a constitutional declaration last month that expanded his powers and threw the country into a political crisis.

The crisis has complicated a $4.8 billion loan the government is seeking from the International Monetary Fund.

The IMF had been due to approve the loan on 19 December, but the government asked for a delay after it cancelled a series of unpopular austerity measures deemed essential for its approval.

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Morsy appoints 90 members to the Shura Council

by admin
December 23rd, 2012

President Mohamed Morsy appointed 90 members to the Shura Council, the upper house of parliament, Presidential Spokesperson Yasser Ali announced on his official Facebook page on Saturday. The appointments include senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders such as Essam al-Erian and Sobhy Saleh and military figures such as Adel Morsy, the former head of the Military Judiciary Authority. 

According to Ali, the 90 appointees include members of 17 parties, 12 of which did not have any representation in the dissolved People's Assembly. Appointees also include constitutional experts, eight women, 12 Copts, eight members of Egyptian churches, five members of Al-Azhar and two of the wounded of the revolution. 

"In continuation of the national dialogue which the president is hosting, and which agenda includes important issues, and in the context of the efforts deployed during the fourth round of this dialogue whereby the selection criteria of Shura Council appointees were discussed, the president issued a decree appointing 90 members to the Shura Council, in accordance with the law," Ali wrote. He added that the appointees represent the diversity of the Egyptian society, with civil society representatives, trade unionists, academics, legal experts, athletes, Sinai and Matrouh tribesmen and Sufi figures. 

If the current constitutional draft passes the referendum, the second phase of which will be held on Saturday, the Shura Council will be handed legislative powers until a new parliament is elected. The lower house of parliament was dissolved earlier by a court ruling, when the Supreme Constitutional Court found that the law governing the house’s elections unconstitutional. 

With the appointments, the Shura Council will be composed of 279 members, a third of whom are appointed by the president.

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Presidential spokesperson: National dialogue on election law after referendum

by admin
December 19th, 2012

The fourth session of the national dialogue called for by President Mohamed Morsy with political forces, legal experts and public figures, on Wednesday discussed the future course of the dialogue after the referendum on the new draft constitution, be it approved or rejected, presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali said.

Ali wrote on Facebook that if the draft constitution is approved, the attendees agreed to discuss the parliamentary elections law and other articles of the draft for which amendments have been proposed, in order to present them to the next Parliament.

In case the draft is rejected, Ali said, they would discuss a law on a new Constituent Assembly to draw up another constitution.

They also agreed to send their proposals to the National Dialogue Committee on 25 December for it to consider over two days, Ali added.

The state-run MENA news agency said the attendees agreed on a document including all disputed articles of the constitution for the coming Parliament to consider.

After the referendum, the presidency would immediately invite the political forces that did not participate in the national dialogue to attend the fifth round so as to widen the circle of discussion, MENA said.

The opposition has rejected the draft constitution and says that participants in the national dialogue are supporters of the ruling party.

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Presidential spokesperson blames tax debacle on political tension

by admin
December 10th, 2012

“Mistakes happened over the past few days due to political conflicts,” presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali said Monday, referring to President Mohamed Morsy raising taxes on a number of commodities than freezing the tax hike only hours later.

The decision to levy new taxes on goods including alcohol and cigarettes was not fully thought through because of the ongoing political crisis, Ali said during a press conference at the presidential palace. He added that Morsy decided to suspend the new taxes in order to hold a social discussion about them.

Ali asserted that fears of price increases due to higher taxes were unreasonable. The presidential office was considering the potential impact of tax hikes on low income communities, Ali claimed, promising that the increased tax revenue would be used to develop neglected municipalities and towns.

Citizens should confront any vendors who raise prices following the decision to freeze the taxes, Ali said, assuring that the government would work to prevent this from happening.

Ali also reported that the High Judicial Elections Commission has requested the support of the Armed Forces during the constitutional referendum on 15 December.

The referendum is taking place in the midst of a growing rift between Morsy and Islamist forces, and the president's opposition, who accuse him and the Muslim Brotherhood of dominating the political process, including the drafting of the constitution. 

Ali said that dialogue between the ruling power and the opposition must take place regardless of the referendum’s outcome, stressing that the administration would respect the results of the referendum.  

The presidential office is confident that all political forces want what is best for the nation, he added, saying that the presidency respects the right to free expression as long as it is peaceful and property is not damaged.

Ali expressed the president’s readiness to participate in a national dialogue with the opposition to propose amendments on controversial constitutional articles that could be discussed by the next Parliament.  

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Presidency files report against TV presenter, satellite channel

by admin
December 3rd, 2012

The president’s office filed a report against talk show host Mahmoud Saad and psychiatrist Manal Omar for insulting President Mohamed Morsy.

On 23 November, Omar came on Saad’s show to give a psychological analysis of Morsy following the announcement of the 22 November Constitutional Declaration. She described Morsy as a psychopath and called on him to resign.

In a press conference on Monday, presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali said this was a case of defamation, and the presidency has the right to sue anyone who is violating the law.

Ali added that he had noted 130 pieces of false news published in local media over the past 10 days.

Asked about the newspaper strike planned for Tuesday, Ali said that the president’s office hopes it doesn’t take place, but, “If it’s a form of expression, then we will welcome it.” Freedom of expression in Egypt has become limitless, he added.

The president’s office does not intervene in the work of the media, Ali said. “We respect all Egyptian media professionals and their roles as the conscience of the nation.”

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Presidency denies SCC’s claims that judges were blocked from court on Sunday

by admin
December 3rd, 2012

No judges were prevented from entering the Supreme Constitutional Court by the demonstrations in front of it on Sunday, said presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali at a press conference on Monday.

Three judges and the state commissioners did enter the building on that day, Ali pointed out.

 “We did not like to see those demonstrations,” he said, “but we respect all means of peaceful expression of opinion. …It is a guaranteed right for all Egyptians.”

Also on Monday, the SCC released a statement claiming that the Islamist protests had obstructed the court’s work. Court vice president, Judge Tahani al-Gebali, said that protesters blocked her way into the court on Sunday morning.

Gebali also claimed to have received a death threat.

The SCC was to convene on Sunday to hear lawsuits challenging the Constituent Assembly and the Shura Council.

Ali claimed the president had exerted great efforts to relieve the judges’ anxieties regarding his recently passed constitutional declaration, which placed his decisions above judicial oversight.

“President [Mohamed] Morsy was once arrested for seven months in defense of the independence of the judiciary under former President Hosni Mubarak,” Ali said.

The president would not invoke the constitutional declaration in any matters relating to judges, Ali claimed, adding that “the presidency wants the judges to supervise the [constitutional] referendum.”

“Disputing the president’s decisions is normal and healthy,” Ali said. “It means diversity, not division.”

“There is a legitimately-elected president who is responsible for achieving stability,” he said, adding that Morsy is open for dialogue with all political forces.

Ali also claimed that the vice president approves of the new constitution, although it eliminates his post.

The Sudanese vice president has not offered to mediate for a solution, as has been rumored, Ali continued, calling the dispute between the president and the judiciary “a strictly internal affair.”

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Spokesperson: Morsy has plan to secure Egypt ahead of referendum

by admin
December 2nd, 2012

President Mohamed Morsy has offered all political groups an initiative to discuss how to secure the country in the next two weeks preceding a constitutional referendum vote, a presidential spokesperson said in a telephone interview with state TV on Sunday.

Spokesperson Yasser Ali said the transitional period would end in 13 days, after a referendum on the constitution is conducted. He said people should not fear the president misusing his power, and called on all political forces to preserve the overarching interests of the nation.

He noted that Morsy met with the Supreme Judicial Council and all heads of Egypt’s judicial bodies three times over the past five months to reassure them of his respect for the judiciary.

Vice President Mahmoud Mekky explained that the judiciary’s concerns were the result of confusion or misunderstanding some provisions contained in the 22 November constitutional declaration, which the judges felt were directly aimed at them, Ali said.

“The president told them [the provisions] were not addressed to them,” Ali said, adding, “[Morsy] was arrested in 2006 for seven months because he supported the independent judiciary movement.”



“If people approve the new constitution, all other constitutional declarations since 19 March will be void,” he added.

Edited translation from MENA

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Qursaya military trial adjourned until 4 December

by admin
December 2nd, 2012

The Military Court postponed on Sunday the trial of 25 residents of Qursaya Island until 4 December, in order to submit documents and take testimony from witnesses.

The Armed Forces tried to forcibly evict residents last month, claiming that they were occupying military land. Island resident Mohamed Abdel Mawgoud was killed after being shot twice during the violent eviction.

Witnesses said that two of the defendants still had injuries and bruises as a result of the clashes. One of the defendants, Yasser Ali, suffered a head injury and bruises on his shoulders, while another, Saber Abdo, came to the court with a broken leg, which has not yet been treated. Defendants had to assist their injured codefendants in getting into the court.

Armed Forces spokesperson Ahmed Mohamed Ali claimed in a statement that Qursaya Island is owned by the Armed Forces and has been officially registered. Ali added that the island is used as a stationing zone by the Armed Forces for securing the capital.

Defendants were represented by four lawyers from civil society organizations at the sessions, and the defendants’ families were also in attendance.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Update: Judges say no agreement reached over constitutional declaration

by admin
November 27th, 2012

President Mohamed Morsy’s legal immunity under the new constitutional declaration is limited to decisions regarding “sovereign” issues, presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali said Monday, stressing there would be no amendments to the decree.

Meanwhile, members of the Supreme Judicial Council said that the crisis between the judicial and executive branches is not over.

Morsy expressed his appreciation for the judiciary and his desire that it remain independent as it is “the last resort for the people to get their rights,” Ali said in a statement following the president’s meeting with members of the SJP.

Judge Ahmed Abdel Rahman, deputy head of the Court of Cassation and member of the Supreme Judicial Council, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that he cannot announce that the impasse has been resolved.

He added that the council has no intention to issue a statement over the meeting, saying, “We have nothing more than what was included in the presidential statement.”

Alexandria Judges Club chief Ezzat Agwa quoted Judge Abdel Rahman Bahlol, a Supreme Judicial Council member, as saying that the meeting failed to resolve the standoff.

According to Agwa, Bahlol described the statement issued by the president’s office as “weak. … [It] doesn’t represent the members of the council.”

Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Agwa said that Bahlol and his colleagues tried in vain during the meeting to resolve the dispute.

Earlier Monday, Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky said he expected that Morsy would back the Supreme Judicial Council’s proposal limiting the scope of his new constitutional declaration.

The council had issued a statement Sunday saying that Morsy’s decree should apply only to “sovereign matters,” stopping short of an outright rejection.

Some analysts explained that the exemption for “sovereign matters” implies Morsy’s order that the Constituent Assembly and Shura Council cannot be dissolved would stay in place, while other presidential decisions could be challenged before courts.

Morsy called on judges not to suspend work in courts to preserve citizens’ rights, and also expressed his appreciation for the council’s role to preempt a collision between the executive and the judicial authorities, Ali said.

According to Ali, Morsy stressed that retrials of those accused of killing protesters would be conducted if investigations reveal new evidence against the accused as stipulated by the new law for the “protection of the revolution.”

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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