CAIRO: The People's Assembly (PA) approved the government's request to extend the state of emergency for two more years, since the anti-terrorism law set to replace the current emergency law is still incomplete. Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif addressed the PA Monday saying that "terrorism poses a threat to the security and existence of any nation nowadays. "Any nation should do whatever it takes to fight terrorism.and since the Egyptian government was unable to finalize the draft of the new anti-terrorism law, we [the Egyptian government] were left with two options: either extend the current emergency law or file an incomplete version of the new anti-terrorism law that will not be practically implemented, Nazif said. He pledged that the emergency law will only be used to fight drug dealers and anything that threatens national security. Members of the opposition went head to head with National Democratic Party members, with the former group furiously rejecting the extension and the latter supporting the government's decision. Opposition members described the emergency law as "unconstitutional along with the decision to extend it. Mohamed Al-Omdah, PA member affiliated with the Free Social Constitutional Party, said that the emergency law hinders political development. He questioned the government's promise to use the emergency law against those who threaten national security, asking why it wasn't implemented on people like Ismail Mamdouh, owner of Al-Salam 98 ferry, which sank in 2006 killing more than 1,000 people. Al-Omdah also asked why it wasn't used to stop those who "illegally increase the prices of the products they sell to the poor consumers. The opposition forces in the PA also indicated that terrorist attacks are likely to continue despite the existence of the emergency law, adding that the "current criminal system is enough to confront terrorism. The opposition blamed the government for failing to provide the PA with a final version of the anti-terrorism law, the drafting of which was approved by the PA during last year's constitutional amendments. On the other hand, NDP members supported the government's request to extend the emergency law as an alternative to the incomplete anti-terrorism law in order to protect "the public's wellbeing and security. Nashaat Al-Kasas, an NDP MP and member of the PA's housing committee, said that the renewal was vital to ensuring that there will be no reccurrence of incidents like the Palestinian border breach into Egypt last January - "when Hamas' flag was raised on Egyptian land. He added that the emergency law will continue to protect Egyptian territories. Mohamed Abdel Fattah Amer, another NDP MP and member in the PA's defense committee, aggressively attacked opposition MPs, accusing them of being "the base of terrorism in Egypt. His accusations caused furor as verbal clashes erupted between members affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, the opposition and independent members on one side and NDP members on the other. Mufid Shehab, minister of state for legal affairs and parliamentary council, said at the end of the session that the extension of the emergency law is only a "temporary solution until the government finalizes the anti-terrorism law that is currently being drafted by experts, who until now have studied more than 80 different anti-terrorism laws that are implemented in different countries. Another NDP MP Mahmoud Farid Al-Khamisy, said that the first emergency law was created in 1914 under the government of Al-Wafd party, which is now one of the most prominent and active opposition parties. He subsequently called on the current opposition forces "to read and learn more about Egypt's history before engaging in debates with the government. Members of Al-Wafd party then suggested Al-Khamisy follow his own advice "because in 1914, Al-Wafd party was not yet established. -Additional reporting by Yasmine Saleh.
