CAIRO: In an unexpected change of heart, former Housing Minister Ibrahim Suleiman agreed to reconcile with the press, reportedly withdrawing more than 30 libel cases and petitions that he had brought against journalists in the past few years. The official withdrawal annuls a one-year sentence issued last week against Al-Masry Al-Youm journalist Abdel Nasser Al-Zoheiry, whose case has long sparked outcries and criticism from the community. "It seems that the president's promise of freedom for journalists is finally paying off, says Al-Zoheiry, who was indicted along with two others for writing a story that allegedly defamed the former minister while the latter was still in office. "The sentence was harsh . I am certain that public opinion and the regime pressured the minister to reconcile. A total fine of LE 10,000 levied on the three Al-Masry Al-Youm journalists was also removed. Since a written settlement has been reached and broadcast, the rest of the procedures are strictly administrative. For the settlement to be official, a written copy of the agreement overseen by Shura Council head Safwat Al-Sharif and Communication Minister Anas El-Fiqqi, has yet to be registered by the Cairo prosecution and received by a Cairo cassation court for the sentence to be formally revoked. The agreement between Suleiman and the journalists was mediated by the press syndicate, according to reports, and pushed forward by independent editors and high-profile journalists. Adel Hamouda, editor of the independent daily Al-Fajr, and Mustafa Bakri, editor of the opposition paper Al-Osbou, were among the voices calling upon the minister to review his stance toward journalists; they personally attended the meeting where the reconciliation occurred, witnessing the signing of the resolution. According to Al-Zoheiry, the recently pardoned journalist, the housing minister said he signed the agreement to show his respect for the president's promises of freedom of expression. On Feb. 13 last year, President Hosni Mubarak urged Egypt's upper house of parliament to amend laws legalizing the imprisonment of journalists. Mubarak had promised that it was time for Egypt's press to receive its fair share of reform and freedom under the current government. However, until Suleiman's initiative, journalists had not witnessed a glimpse of the president's promise.Although the case of Al-Masry Al-Youm journalists provoked international criticism, especially from human rights and reporter rights groups, Al-Zoheiry denies any kind of foreign intervention in his case. "The reconciliation came only as a result of local pressure, says the journalist. "How the editors and reporters of Egypt stood in a united front [against Suleiman] is unprecedented; it is what caused the change. According to Al-Zoheiry, no envoys or human rights groups' representatives met with him or his colleagues. "People, concerned citizens from the public, wrote numerous letters to the newspapers responding to this case. The pressure [inside Egypt] was enough to make the [government] respond. "Then again, it was only a news story. There was no slander or libel . The information was based on a legitimate source, insists Al-Zoheiry. It is noteworthy that following the reporter's sentence, Magdy El-Galad, editor of Al-Masry Al-Youm, had refused any suggestions that his reporters apologize to the minister or seek his pardon. El-Galad had told the press that he could not endure "such a humiliation, adding that journalists should be highly respected. Following the recent "victory of the press, as some have chosen to call it, Shura head Al-Sharif announced that a law giving more freedom to journalists and protecting them from imprisonment or harassment will be issued soon. Journalists backed by the press syndicate have vowed to continue their struggle until such a law is in place.
