A delegation of the People's Assembly and the Shoura Council [Egypt's lower and upper chambers of parliament respectively] visited President Mubarak yesterday at his residence in Heliopolis [Cairo] to express their support to his position on the Palestinian Cause and his initiative which ended Israel's aggression on the Gaza Strip. The visit delayed the meeting of some committees of the People's Assembly, as their presidents were in the delegation. The group was headed by the speakers of the two chambers (Fathi Sorour and Safwat Sherif respectively) and included representatives of some parties having seats in the two chambers, notably the National Democratic Party (NDP), al-Wafd [the Delegation], al-Tagammu [the Gathering], Al-Takaful [Social Solidarity], al-Guil [the Generation] and the Democratic Front. No Muslim Brotherhood [MB] and independent MP joined the delegation. During the meeting, Mr. Sherif said the Council rejected Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip and its killings there. They all agreed that Israel's bad behavior did not change and that peace could be achieved only through a strong army backed by a solid internal front and by all necessary money and improvements. The Secretary General of the MB parliamentary block, Dr. Mohamed el-Baltagui, described the delegation as incomplete. "The delegation was supposed to represent the Parliament, but it didn't include the MB, which makes up for 20% of the Parliament itself", he said, adding that the Assembly Speaker had not invited the MB to join the delegation. El-Baltagui explained that some opposition and independent MPs had gone to Abedeen Palace [downtown Cairo] since the start of Israel's aggression on Gaza and had sent a note to President Mubarak with their requests concerning the aggression. The memo, which also contained their opinions about the government's performance regarding the events in Gaza, had been ignored by the People's Assembly, he said, and even the President did not reply.
