The Press Office of the House of Representatives says at least two MPs affiliated with the 25-30 coalition will be referred to the Ethics Committee. In a statement on Monday the Press Office said MP Ahmed Tantawi had been accused of violating parliament's code of conduct during the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee debate on the Egyptian-Saudi maritime border demarcation agreement. The statement revealed the committee has submitted a memorandum accusing Tantawi of interrupting Sayed Al-Husseini, head of the Egyptian Geographical Society, as he was addressing the committee on 13 June. “Tantawi tried to assault Al-Husseini physically, prevented him from addressing the committee and threw the microphone to the floor while hurling insults at him,” said the memorandum. Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal, who headed the debate, described Tantawi's conduct as a “crime” and said he should be stripped of parliamentary membership. A memorandum submitted by Al-Husseini said that while he was addressing parliament on 13 June he was taken by surprise when Tantawi tried to hit him. “As I tried to defend myself he took the microphone and threw it to the floor while directing insults at me,” said Al-Husseini. The statement said parliament had twice asked Tantawi to testify. “He refused to come and defend himself and as a result we had no option but to refer him to the Ethics Committee,” said the statement. On 14 June MPs approved the controversial maritime border demarcation agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia which places the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi maritime water. The 25-30 group of MPs has accused parliament of rubber-stamping the deal without adequate discussion and in the face of a judicial ruling last year declaring the agreement null and void. A memorandum from MP May Mahmoud accuses MP Haitham Al-Hariri of trying to physically assault her. “The 25-30 group of MPs did their best to monopolise the debate,” Mahmoud complained, adding that “when I tried to show them that the majority has the right to take the floor he responded by hurling insults at me, taking off his jacket and trying to assault me.” Al-Hariri was accused two months ago of insulting Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal. In a stormy meeting on 13 June Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Omar Marawan presented MPs with an atlas which showed the Gaza Strip under Egyptian administration and pointed out that did not mean the area was part of Egypt. “The same applies to the two islands of Tiran and Sanafir,” Marawan told MPs. When Marawan asked Al-Husseini to give his opinion on the atlas members of the opposition 25-30 objected, saying Al-Husseini had already addressed MPs four times. Al-Husseini responded by asking the 25-30 MPs to be silent and listen because he was an expert. Al-Hussein told MP Khaled Youssef: “You are just a film director who knows nothing of international borders.” Tantawi responded by accusing Al-Husseini of rudeness. He told journalists that Al-Husseini had nothing to say beyond repeating ad nauseum that the two islands were Saudi. “While the majority of MPs asked us to listen in silence to the pro-government Al-Husseini they loudly attacked Heidi Farouk, an independent expert on international borders, because she presented the case for the two islands being part of Egypt.” Informed sources said parliament is also investigating whether Youssef had insulted MPs and Speaker Abdel-Aal during the debate. Abdel-Aal accused Youssef and other 25-30 group MPs of obtaining money from “foreign sources” in order to undermine the debate on the Egyptian-Saudi deal. “Those who own expensive cars, luxurious flats and large deposit accounts are the ones ready to sell the country's land,” said Abdel-Aal. “What do you mean?” responded Youssef. “All we want is to expose those like you who fake history and facts.” Mohamed Al-Sewidi, head of the pro-government Support Egypt bloc, told reporters on Tuesday that the government had mishandled the debate on the Egyptian-Saudi deal. “It was far from transparent and as a result the parliamentary debate degenerated into an exchange of insults,” said Al-Sewidi.
