CAIRO: In a move perceived as a prelude to lifting government receivership and conducting fair elections at the Engineers' Syndicate, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nasr El-Deen Allam, appointed former transport minister Essam Sharaf as temporary head of the syndicate's new steering committee of 31 engineers. Sharaf welcomed this "proactive initiative, emphasizing that his "first objective is to bring the syndicate back to normal. He promised "to sit, talk, and cooperate with members from all political spectrums to ensure that elections will be held. Khaled Ali, director of the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, welcomed the choice of Sharaf for the position. "The minister has chosen a man who enjoys consensus among engineers. Essam Sharaf will fill this position until we reach our ultimate goal of lifting the receivership and holding fair elections, he said. Earlier this week, a group of independent engineers in Alexandria came up with a draft amendment to Article 66 of Law 74 concerning the Engineers' Syndicate. "The syndicate's main law was issued more than 35 years ago. That's why we needed to consider some serious amendments to bring it in line with the rapid developments this sector has witnessed in the past years, said Magdy Mossad head of the Alexandria branch of the syndicate, Mossad pointed out that Article 66 dealt with the syndicate as an advisory body serving the state in its field of specialization. The proposed amendment demanded a more effective role in re-evaluating national projects; as well as better representation, which will ensure that no single political group will have control over it. The Egyptian Engineers' Syndicate went under the government custodianship in 1995 following a court order that included many other syndicates such the Doctors' and the Lawyers' Syndicates.
