CAIRO: The Appeals Circuit of the Supreme Administrative Court has decided to adjourn the hearing of the government's appeal on the Cairo Administrative Court's decision to ban gas exports to Israel and other countries until April 6. The court will examine the report of the State Commissioner's Authority of the State Council which was submitted in a session Monday. Though the report was not released to the lawyers present at the session or to the press, Ibrahim Yousri, who had initiated the case, told Daily News Egypt that the report concluded that the government's appeal should be refused and the initial verdict of the Administrative Court to ban gas exports to Israel and other countries at lower than market prices, should be upheld. The report also indicated that millions were being wasted on gas deals which, at times, represented a mere fifth of market prices. "The case involves public opinion and the court will take that into consideration, he said. The popular campaign to prevent the export of Egyptian gas had filed an appeal to rescind the ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court that the government could continue exports of natural gas to Israel and other countries. The campaign is attempting to put a stop to the export of Egyptian gas because the prices agreed in the contracts are lower than market prices for natural gas. The Supreme Administrative Court had ruled in February that gas exports could continue, while the Cairo Administrative Court had ruled that the government should stop exporting the gas last November because parliament had not been consulted. However, as the government appealed, the gas continued to flow through the intermediary company, Eastern Mediterranean Gas, that directly pumps the gas to Israel.
