Yesterday, President Mubarak appointed Zahi Hawas, secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) to the position of Deputy Minister of Culture. Hawas will stay on in his current post as secretary general of the SCA, the decree said. Thanking President Mubarak for the trust he has in him, Hawas said, "I hope I can complete my mission with Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni." He added, "I hope we can pursue the works we have begun, to preserve and restore antiquities, establish major museums, bring artifacts from abroad and issue new laws to protect them and raise the architectural awareness of the Egyptian citizen." The decree allows Hawas to remain in his post as secretary general of the SCA, sources at the Ministry of Culture said, adding that Hawas was supposed to be pensioned off this coming May, as he will be 63-years-old. Hawas has published 15 books in several languages and is credited with unearthing important discoveries at the Pyramids and in the Valley of the Kings. During his tenure as head of the SCA, over 5,000 artifacts have been returned from abroad. In 2006, he was listed on Time magazine's "100 People Who Shape the World." Translated from the Arabic Edition.
