Candles for Nour AROUND 100 members of the liberal Ghad Party gathered last week at the entrance of their party's downtown headquarters to show support for the party's jailed founder Ayman Nour who, on 5 December, began his third year in prison, reports Mona El-Nahhas. Together with party members, representatives of various political factions and human rights activists took part in lighting candles for Nour and all Egyptian detainees. Security forces who imposed a siege around the building ordered protesters not to step outside the building. Several clashes between the two sides were reported. "We gather today to express our deep gratitude to the man who struggled for the establishment of this party," said activist Ihab El-Kholi during the gathering, stressing that, "the regime could not undermine the Ghad Party because its members will never allow this to happen." Representatives of political powers who attended the gathering called for the release of Nour who they said paid the price for what one called his "honourable political stands". Nour was sentenced to a five-year jail term in 2005 on charges of forging applications necessary for founding his party. The charges against Nour were viewed by political analysts as being fabricated and aimed at getting rid of the outspoken opposition figure. Legal government THE PEOPLE'S Assembly has declared that the government is constitutional, Gamal Essam El-Din reports. Despite fierce objections from opposition and independent MPs, the People's Assembly, supported by the majority of the ruling National Democratic Party, declared on Sunday that the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif is constitutional. A five-page report prepared by the assembly's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee concluded that allegations by the opposition that the government must comply with amended Article 133 of the constitution to be considered constitutional are entirely unfounded. The report cited the article as saying, "after forming a cabinet, the prime minister must submit the government's programme to the People's Assembly within 60 days, or by the first parliamentary session should the assembly be in recess." The article, the report said, does not apply to the present government because the cabinet was formed before the constitutional amendments, including Article 133, which were passed in March. "The amendments can not be applied retroactively so that Article 133 can apply to the Nazif government," said the report. This, it argued, does not mean that the assembly cannot exercise control over the government. "The assembly is empowered by the constitution to summon the prime minister or any cabinet minister at any time to pose to them questions or ask them to explain certain policies," the report said. Opposition and independent MPs, however, insisted that the government be declared unconstitutional. Kamal Ahmed, an independent MP with leftist leanings, said the constitutional amendments have a direct effect and should, therefore, be applied to the government. "I ask what will happen if no new government is formed within the next five years? Does this mean that the government of Nazif will not be obliged to submit a statement and seek the confidence of parliament?" Mahmoud Abaza, leader of the Wafd Party, also argued that the application of the constitution should be made as a whole and not article by article. "The philosophy of 2007's summer constitutional amendment aims at reinforcing parliamentary supervisory powers," said Abaza, adding, "the assembly's refusal to apply Article 133 to the existing government comes at the expense of exercising its constitutional supervisory powers over the executive authority." Bird flu farm THE SUPREME Committee for Combating Bird Flu has announced the discovery of the deadly virus among poultry at a farm in Belbeis in Sharqiya governorate. Samples were taken from the poultry and all tested positive but no human infections with the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease have been detected on the farm. All of the farm's 160,000 fowls were culled. Abdel-Rahman Shahin, official spokesman at the Ministry of Health and Population, said samples of people in direct and indirect contact with dying or infected fowls in the area proved negative. "The farm and the surrounding areas were sprayed with water mixed with detergent," he added. Shahin said it was the first infection among poultry since the beginning of this winter. "Accordingly, there is a dire need to continue inspection on poultry retail shops by district chiefs and to make sure that retailers are not selling or slaughtering birds." Shahin also called for continuing the surveillance of entrances to Cairo to prevent the entry of live poultry in line with decree No 517 of 1986 prohibiting slaughtering birds before being examined by veterinarians. He also called for disposing of all birds infected with bird flu, along with closing down all farms that do not have a licence. The General Authority for Veterinary Services (GAVS) in the Agriculture Ministry has agreed with China to provide Egypt with 72 million doses of Avian Influenza vaccines to vaccinate Egypt's poultry against bird flu. Hamed Samaha, head of the GAVS, said 1,200 new veterinary graduates along with another 1,200 employees and 500 drivers will start the first phase of the national vaccination campaign starting in mid-December up to March 2008. The second phase will start in June next year for three months.
