The head of Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) approved in principle the establishment of a "science city" promoted by an Egyptian scientist, according to the Egyptian news agency MENA. Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi met on Tuesday with Noble Laureate Ahmed Zewail to discuss his planned Zewail Science and Technology City, the location of which has yet to be determined. Tantawi considers the project a scientific shift towards a better future, according to MENA. The agency added that Tantawi agreed to start coordination efforts on local, regional and international levels to secure the proposed undertaking. The SCAF's head urged for submitting the project to the next parliament for approval. On Wednesday, Zewail met with interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to discuss the project and other initiatives. After winning the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1999, Zewail started promoting the establishment of a science and technology city to push forward scientific research in Egypt. Nearly 300 feddans had been allocated for the project during the reign of former President Hosni Mubarak, but work on the undertaking has since stalled, and it is unclear if the same plot of land would be used for the city. Translated from the Arabic Edition
