The Moday morning meeting of the youth organizers – Google executive Wael Ghonim and blogger Amr Salama, with Maj. Gen. Mahmoud Hijazi and Maj Gen. Abdel Fattah – representing the Military junta that is running the state, might have helped ease the pressure from the youth and the clearing of Tahrir Square.

But normalcy was still an illusion on Monday that was marred by industrial actions. It was widely reported by the media that the Military junta will ban labour meeting in a reaction to the sit-ins and strikes at state-owned institutions including the stock exchange, textile firms, media organisations, steel firms, the postal service and railways, the police and the health ministry that  began on Sunday. However, the Statement issued by the Statement of Supreme Council of Armed Forces on Tuesday Morning(on Monday evening?) makes only a plea to workers listing the negative impacts of the activities. However, in my opinion, given the status of the Statement, issued by the Supreme Council as if a decree, may amount to a warning. At any rate, whether the labor heed to the call is to be judged on Wednesday, as Tuesday is a holiday – the birth of Prophet Mohammed. [Read the full text of the Statement below.]

In a bid to keep its promises to the youth organizers on amending the constitution, the Military junta assigned, on Tuesday, an experts’ panel that is to prepare constitutional amendments in ten days and put on a popular referendum within two moths. The panel held its first meeting with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, chair of the Military council and the current Head of State, and Mamduh Marei, the Minister of Justice. According to the the official web-site of Muslim Brotherhood report about the constitutional review panel consists:

a retired judge Tareq el-Bishri, former head of Egypt’s State Council to head … the eight-member panel, which also includes sitting judges from Supreme Constitutional Court, legal experts like Atef Al Banna, professor of constitutional law at Cairo University, and former lawmaker Sobhi Saleh of the  Muslim Brotherhood.

However, this sparked criticism from Egyptian secularists and the western media. According to the Financial-Times:

About 30 organisations voiced their misgivings on Tuesday amid concerns that members of the panel were either Islamists or legal experts who had helped draw up laws that restricted democracy under Hosni Mubarak, the autocratic leader ousted last week.

The source of criticism is not only Sobhy Saleh, whom the afore-cited Muslim Brotherhood site referred as one of its own, but also the identity of  the head of the panel. Tareq el-Bishri is described, by the Financial-Times as ‘a former judge who has a reputation as an independent-minded scholar with Islamist leanings.’ Apparently, Mr. el-Bishri is also criticized for his role in the making of laws in Hosini Mubarak’s era. Why would the Military assigned a person like el-Bishri? In my opinion, perhaps the Military wanted someone whom they can dictate, since that’s el-Bishir’s reputation under Pres Mubarak.

In a related development, the Muslim Brotherhood mad a two-tone statement that it ‘envisions the establishment of a democratic, civil state that draws on universal measures of freedom and justice, with central Islamic values serving all Egyptians regardless of colour, creed, political trend or religion’. It has been reported earlier that Muslim Brotherhood, despite its professed commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, ‘still opposes allowing a Christian to serve as president or prime minister, or allowing a woman to serve as president’. [Read Muslim Brotherhood’s Tuesday statement below.]

Another news from the Egypt State media quoted the Ministry of Antiquities that the mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamun is safe and still in the museum. The statement  was made to rebut CNN’s report to the contrary.

Read below the latest statements from the Army and Muslim Brotherhood.

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Text of 6th Statement of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces

Statement of Supreme Council of Armed Forces
In light of the current conditions in the country, and the Armed Forces responsibility for the protection of the people who have demanded their legitimate rights, and now that, with God’s help, conditions are now appropriate to facilitate the democratic process through the issuing of a constitutional proclamation that will guarantee constitutional and legislative amendments that will realize the legitimate demands of the people for a true democratic environment. Nonetheless, it has been noticed that in certain sectors of the state demonstrations have been organized even though normality has been restored, and under conditions where it is expected that all groups and sectors of society would work together to support this positive progress and the efforts of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to realized the ambitions and aspirations of the people. Honorable Egyptians regard these demonstrations taking place at a critical moment as leading to negative consequences, including:

First: Harming national security by disturbing all the institutions and the agencies of the state.

Second: Negatively impacting the ability to supply the public with necessary goods.

Third: Disturbing and disrupting production and operations in the state.

Fourth: Delaying the public’s day-to-day life.

Fifth: Negatively impacting the national economy.

Sixth: Creating an atmosphere that gives the opportunity to irresponsible persons to commit illegitimate acts, a situation that requires that all citizens to work together to stabilize the country and prevent further impacts on the national economy and its development.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces with a view to achieving the security and stability of the nation and the people, and to guarantee the restoration of operations in all institutions of the state, calls on citizens and professional and labor unions to fulfill their respective duties, while recognizing the difficulties which they have long faced. We hope that everyone will work to create the necessary conditions to deal with this critical phase until authority is transferred to a legitimate and popularly elected civilian authority that will be responsible for democratic and developmental progress.

God is the source of success and support.

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Muslim Brotherhood’s Tuesday statement (posted on its website)

MB will apply to become party when time is right
Tuesday, February 15,2011 10:13

The Muslim Brotherhood’s media spokesman Dr. Essam El Erian has stated that steady and gradual reform must begin now, and it must begin on the terms that have been called for by millions of Egyptians over the past weeks.

Hence the MB confirms that the group stands firmly behind the demands of the Egyptian people as a whole and in moving forward, envisions the establishment of a democratic, civil state that draws on universal measures of freedom and justice, with central Islamic values serving all Egyptians regardless of colour, creed, political trend or religion. Although it fully understands that change does not happen overnight, the MB believes change will lead to a new beginning rooted in justice and progress.

Mohsen Rady an MB leader agreed adding once an official legitimate committee has been formed it will apply to become an official party highlighting that the former tyranny of autocratic rule which had once prevented the establishment of a party will give way to immediate reform demonstrating a serious commitment to change, the granting of freedoms to all and the transition toward democracy.

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