Lavrov in Cairo THE SYRIAN crisis was the centre of negotiations during Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr's visit to Lebanon and talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Cairo. Amr concluded a two-day visit to Lebanon yesterday during which he met head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea and other top officials, including Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun. During the visit, Amr said the reason behind the visit was to express solidarity with the Lebanese people, and to work with all the Lebanese parties in maintaining stability. Regarding the resignation of the Lebanese government, Amr stressed that his country would not interfere in the matter. He emphasised that Egypt supports a political solution to the Syrian crisis that meets the people's aspirations for change and democracy, but in the meantime preserves the unity of Syria and spares it any international intervention. The Syrian issue was also discussed during Amr's meeting with his Russian counterpart Lavrov who was in Cairo on Monday. Amr said the meeting was part of constant contacts between the two sides on various issues. In a joint press conference following their one-hour talks, Lavrov, whose country is an ally of the Syrian regime, called on countries who have influence over the rebels to encourage them to sit at the negotiating table. At the press conference Amr declared that an agreement on cultural, educational and scientific cooperation between the two governments was signed ahead of their meeting. Lavrov started his visit by meeting Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil Al-Arabi and UN Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi. Both sides reiterated their commitment to ending the violence in Syria, but did not reach the means to that end. Lavrov also met President Mohamed Morsi to discuss ways of halting the violence in Syria, and the Palestinian question. Morsi and Lavrov also discussed fostering ties between Egypt and Russia in various fields. Campus decision ON SUNDAY, 11 November, the Administrative Court will rule over Nile University's right of its campus land in Sheikh Zayed. The case was brought to court by the university's administration and students, contesting two former prime ministers' decrees allocating lands upon which the Nile University was built to Nobel scientist Ahmed Zewail to found his own scientific city. Legal representatives of both Nile University and Zewail's scientific city claim the right to land in Sheikh Zayed city based on documents. Since early September, the Nile University has staged a sit-in in the wake of a ministerial committee decree that backed Zewail's right to the university lands. Nile University was established in 2006 by means of a decree issued by former prime minister Ahmed Nazif. After the 25 January revolution, the university's board of trustees waived the right to the land, buildings and equipment to the Ministry of Communications, which gave Zewail City the right to use the disputed lands by means of two decisions issued by former prime ministers Ahmed Shafik and Essam Sharaf subsequently. Nile University students insist that the waiver was illegal as it was not documented. However, the other camp argued that the transaction was registered. Judges on constitution IN ITS DOWNTOWN headquarters, the Cairo Judges Club is scheduled to hold an emergency general assembly today to discuss the new draft constitution, especially the article dealing with the judiciary. Abdallah Fathi, the club's deputy chairman, stated that all the constitutional articles that were presented to judges targeted the judiciary's independence. MB official sued THE COURT of Misdemeanours has set 24 November for the start of the trial of deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Essam Al-Erian on charges of slandering a TV presenter after he accused her of receiving funds from political forces to attack the Brotherhood. Jihan Mansour said the incident happened when she was covering the clashes that erupted in Tahrir Square on Friday 12 October between members of the Brotherhood and anti-Brotherhood protesters. She said she had conducted a phone-in during her morning show on the Dream satellite channel on 14 October with a political activist who attacked the Brotherhood. Mansour then called Al-Erian asking him to reply to the accusations, at which point he accused her of receiving funds in return for attacking the group. The prosecution-general on Thursday referred Al-Erian to criminal trial on charges of slandering Mansour. Al-Erian has filed his own lawsuit accusing Mansour of slandering him during press conferences held in the wake of the complaint Mansour filed against him. He is demanding LE10,000 in damages. Compiled by Mona El-Nahhas
