Egyptian-Saudi border deal yet to go before parliament: Speaker
Ahram Online , Saturday 25 Jun 2016
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/231831/Egypt/Politics-/EgyptianSaudi-border-deal-yet-to-go-before-parliam.aspx

The Egyptian-Saudi border demarcation agreement, which would place two
Red Sea islands in Saudi territory, is yet to be delivered to Egypt’s
parliament for ratification, said parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al in his
first interview with state TV on Saturday.

Abdel-Al dismissed media reports that the agreement had already been put
before parliament.

"It will be referred to the parliament’s legislative and constitutional
committee to check its constitutionality and determine if it is the type of
agreement that needs a public referendum."

On Tuesday, Egypt's Administrative Court voided the deal, which placed the
two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi waters, stating that the
two islands “remain Egyptian.”

However, the State Lawsuit Authority – the body representing the government
in legal cases – has appealed the ruling.

“We [the parliament] will not rush at all regarding this agreement, and any
citizen bearing relevant information or documents will be welcomed,” he
said.

Regeni case

Abdel-Al also said that the Egyptian parliamentary delegation’s visit to the
European Union parliament last April had succeeded in changing the “negative
image” surrounding the murder of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni in Cairo
earlier this year, though he did not give further details.

Regeni, who was in Cairo conducting research on independent trade unions,
went missing on 25 January. His body was found bearing signs of severe
torture by a roadside on the outskirts of the capital nine days later.

Italian officials have criticised what they described as a lack of
transparency in the Egyptian investigation process.

Legislative agenda

According to the speaker, the parliament is willing to issue several new
legislations before the end of the parliamentary season, which is expected
for July or early August.

"We are considering discussing and issuing the law which regulates the
building of churches, the transitional justice law and the local governance
law," he said.

"The protest law is not among the laws that will be discussed before the end
of the parliamentary season," he noted, referring to the controversial law
that severely restricts protesting in the country.

Earlier this month, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Magdi El-Agati
announced that a "governmental committee will soon meet to amend the protest
law to go in line with the 2014 constitution."

Several Egyptian parliamentarians have welcomed the government’s
announcement, saying they were preparing their own proposals for changes.

The law, which mandates stiff prison terms of up to three years in jail as
well as hefty fines for those who protest without a government permit, was
passed in November 2013 during the turbulent period that followed the ouster
of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Opposition in parliament

"To be clear, this parliament is composed of the strongest opposition ever,
and this was obvious when they rejected the civil service law and passed the
cabinet's plan under the condition of offering MPs a detailed report of the
government’s activity every six months," Abdel-Al said.

The law, which was signed by Egypt's cabinet in November 2015, has met with
widespread criticism by many state employees and labour unions, aims at
reforming the state's administrative apparatus in order to encourage
investments by curbing notorious bureaucratic inefficiencies and
streamlining hiring practices and wage-structures in government
institutions.

He added that parliament has no ruling party or concrete coalitions, even
though it includes more than 350 MPs who are members of the pro-state
coalition "Support Egypt," including Abdel-Al himself.

Live coverage of parliament

The speaker said that the halting of live TV coverage of parliament sessions
does not mean the proceedings are not covered publicly.

"In each session there are journalists who cover proceedings, and the
sessions are recorded and later broadcast," he said."The live coverage
disturbs the concentration of MPs by making them focus on the cameras rather
than on the discussions," he added.

Earlier this year, the majority of MPs agreed to a proposal submitted by 40
members to halt TV coverage in order to prevent “grandstanding” by some MPs.