Egyptian Minister of State for Antiquities Zahi Hawass on Monday demanded that all presidential palaces in Egypt fall under control of the ministry's Islamic and Coptic antiquities department. In a statement, Hawass said he had sent a memo to Prime Minister Essam Sharaf asking him to include the Oruba Palace, the former headquarters of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, as well as other presidential palaces. Hawass also demanded that a ministry committee be formed to examine the contents of the Oruba Palace and other presidential palaces, as well as the palaces and rest houses of former senior officials, to indicate whether the contents include antiquities. Hawass went on to say that Sharaf expressed his preliminary approval and pointed out that the committee to examine the contents of presidential palaces had been formed. The committee would begin with the Oruba Palace, he added. Hawass also sent a letter to the cabinet calling for the Suzanne Mubarak Museum for Children - now known as the Children's Museum - to fall under the control of the Antiquities Ministry, instead of the Integrated Care Society chaired by former First Lady Suzanne Mubarak. Translated from the Arabic Edition
