Opposition writers predicted that the unshakeable political system might finally be rankled by the "Hamza affair", while the national press appeared serene in its conviction of stability's prime virtue, writes Aziza Sami The arrest of prominent engineering consultant Mamdouh Hamza by British authorities continued to capture sizeable coverage in the Egyptian press this week. Hamza was arrested in July on the charge of conspiring to assassinate four "important" -- and unnamed -- Egyptian figures. Currently incarcerated in a British jail, Hamza awaits trial in early September. On Sunday Abdallah El-Sinnawi, the editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Al-Arabi, mouthpiece of the opposition Nasserist Party, unequivocally gave his view as to the significance of the case. "The whole affair could lead to a sizeable political 'earthquake' in Egypt if it transpires that Egyptian parties were involved in conspiring, behind the back of the President, to frame Hamza," he wrote. El-Sinnawi was referring to ongoing speculations that the Minister of Housing Mohamed Ibrahim Suleiman is behind Hamza's arrest due to long-standing rivalries between the two. The minister claims these rivalries culminated in Hamza's instigating the writing of an as-yet unpublished Black Book of Ibrahim Suleiman. El-Sinnawi wrote: "No one is in the position of superseding the courts or the evidence presented to them. However, despite the fact that this is a criminal case, it will also turn into a political one. This is because it involves the question of the integrity of political rule in Egypt, conflicts of interest between business people, and the continuous hitting 'below and above the belt.' It is a political earthquake whose epicenter is the ministry of housing." The weekly Al-Ahali, newspaper of left- wing Al-Tagammu Party, shared a similar view. The newspaper's Misbah Qutb wrote that "notwithstanding the assertion by the presidential spokesman that this is a strictly criminal case, observers say the matter has turned into a political crisis unsurpassed since the beginning of the 23 July 1952 Revolution. This is the first thread towards discovering the most serious manifestations of corruption in some ministries, and in the practices of those residing at the top of the system in Egypt." The independent weekly Sout Al-Umma also entered the fray, this Sunday's edition boasting the headline "Ibrahim Suleiman sells an Egyptian island to the Bin Laden family" -- a catchy title which nevertheless referred to an affair going back to 1995 and related to a brother of Osama Bin Laden. This deal, according to Sout Al- Umma, is part of a list of "violations" which included among other things allotting land on the north sea coast to sons of officials or business people to set up private beaches like "La Plage" or the provocatively named "Yashmak" (Turkish for face veil) which is exclusively for women. In line with its sensationalist tendencies, the newspaper's front page also carried a photograph of an avaricious looking Suleiman devouring what appears to be an apple. And if direct attacks on the minister of housing were not enough, an unsigned article, in the same newspaper, focussed exclusively on an unnamed minister branded as "the worst minister in the history of Egypt." This mysterious minister, according to the anonymous writer, combines the basest and vilest of human attributes. These range from his denying any connection with his family because of its 'modest social roots', to not paying for meals in restaurants, and boasting that he is a criminal, thug and a " bormagi " -- the last being an Egyptian slang denoting a pretentious, unscrupulous, Jack-of-all-trades. "Corrupt and foul-mouthed", alleges the writer of the article, "his avarice is deep as a bottomless pit." Writing in the opposition daily Al-Wafd on Friday, secretary-general of the Tagammu' Party, Hussein Abdel-Razeq, warned against "the risks of internal Palestinian conflict". Referring to confrontations between the Palestinian National Authority and factions like Hamas following the appointment of Musa Arafat as director of general security in Gaza, Abdel-Razeq argued that "Israel has warmly welcomed this internal Palestinian struggle which broke out at a time when Palestinian gains were possible after the International Court of Justice decreed that Israel's separation wall is illegal. There is also the EU's support for the Palestinians, France's crisis with Tel Aviv after Sharon encouraged French Jews to emigrate to Israel, and internal Israeli crises related to the formation of a new coalition with the Labour Party, following the collapse of Sharon's alliance with the Shinui Party. The Palestinian leadership, however, has once again made a mistake, getting embroiled in internal conflicts and failing to capitalise on regional and international conditions to its people's advantage." Al-Wafd also triumphantly announced the end of its campaign to stop the demolition of the Al-Shatbi Hospital in Alexandria. However, the newspaper could not resist censuring the new prime minister, Ahmed Nazif, for his "unenviable rashness resulting from his lack of political experience". According to the newspaper, Nazif had told the national daily Al- Gomhouriya that "no one ever thought of demolishing the hospital" and that " Al- Wafd created a problem out of nothing." And so the piqued opposition paper reiterated in its banner that " Al-Wafd did not create this problem out of nothing, Al- Wafd did not fight windmills, Al-Wafd did not create an artificial pandemonium." The newspaper ended its diatribe by stating: "We announce the end of the campaign, following the positive statements issued by the prime minister." Al-Arabi in its turn jibed Al-Wafd in its banner: " Al-Arabi responds to Al-Wafd's absurdities -- the dialogue of Wafdists with US Secretary of State Colin Powell is a political shame." Al-Arabi launched an attack on the Wafd Party, two of whose prominent members, deputy head Mahmoud Abaza, and head of its parliamentary bloc Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, were at the private meeting Powell held with eight members of Egypt's civil society during his recent visit to Cairo. "Although Al- Wafd claims that those who met with Powell refused the principle of foreign intervention in Egypt's affairs, the very fact that they went to him with the intent of discussing domestic affairs is in itself a violation of the most elementary principles of dignity and national sovereignty. Some of those who met with Powell do not conceal their connection with foreign, and especially American, funding institutions. Others were from the ruling NDP. It was only Abaza and Abdel-Nour who met with Powell as the representatives of an opposition party," stated the paper's front page editorial. On Friday, the national dailies Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar published news of the abolition of anti-dumping tariffs on Turkish and Ukrainian steel imports. Al-Akhbar added in commentary that this decision came in response to the campaign led by the newspaper itself and its editor-in-chief Galal Dowidar against over-pricing and monopoly in the steel market. On Monday , Al-Akhbar quoted on its front page an article written by Ahmed Al- Garallah, the editor of the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa entitled "Freedom in Egypt exists in excess." Al-Akhbar quoted Al- Garallah as writing that "Mubarak's speedy recovery and return [from treatment abroad] have put the groups of the 'political circus' in disarray. The president resumed his functions and ended the dreams of those impatient [for change] as well as of the members of the political circus. Those [aspirants to political power] belong to currents enjoying no majority consensus but connected to outside forces, whether knowingly or not, in a most stupid manner. These forces, which have different ideologies and aims, all agree on demanding constitutional reform and democracy. But what they want is to attain political power and destroy the gains of democracy and gradual political reform realised by the Egyptian people." Apparently quite gratified with Al- Garallah's summary dismissal of "members of the political circus" (read: Egyptian political opposition and non-governmental figures), Al-Akhbar took great care to publish the above quotes in a prominent position, framed on the top left corner of its front page, and republished the entire article on page nine.
