President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has ordered the formation of the general secretariat of the National Defence Council (NDC), Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. The NDC is headed by El-Sisi and was reconstituted by a decree issued by interim president Adly Mansour in February. The secretariat will be headed by a general secretary, who will be recommended by the defence minister and appointed by El-Sisi, and will take the defence ministry as its headquarters. The decree stipulates that the general secretary heads the meetings of the secretariat but has no vote. The secretariat's tasks include forming the agenda of the NDC, and conducting research for the NDC. He will also be liable to the judiciary, and has the authority to request any documents from the judicial and executive authorities as well as other institutions. The defence minister appoints the members of the secretariat, mostly army officers as well as officials from other state institutions. The NDC was first formed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in May 2012, who were ruling the country after the 2011 uprising that deposed autocrat Hosni Mubarak, but the council's duties are unclear. The NDC includes the prime minister, head of the parliament, ministers of defence, foreign affairs, finance and interior, along with the head of intelligence, military chief of staff, and heads of navy and air force. Source : Ahram online
