The Interior Ministry is reviewing the files of detained Bedouin tribesmen from the Sinai Peninsula in advance of their imminent release, as was promised by Interior Minister Habib el-Adly in a recent meeting with tribal leaders, according to ministry sources. The sources, however, declined to specify exactly how many detainees would be released. The same sources said that the ministry planned to ease security procedures at police checkpoints across the peninsula, and that Bedouin detainees would be moved to prisons in Sinai so as to make it easier for their families to visit them. The minister had also promised Bedouin families that police would refrain from arresting tribesmen based solely on suspicion, a practice that had hitherto subjected them to tedious security procedures. Moreover, the ministry plans to send committees to Sinai to issue driver's licenses, car registrations and vehicle identifications to local residents without them having to register at the nearest town. Bedouin leaders welcomed the minister's statements, expressing hope that more of their relatives would soon be released. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
