CAIRO: The First Conference of Egypt announced Tuesday a list of 60 members representing various political and social streams to make up its proposed National Council, a civil group created to facilitate Egypt's transition to democracy. The council would also be tasked with coordinating communication between the public on one hand, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the government on the other. The list included presidential hopefuls Judge Hisham El-Bastawisy, out-going Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa and activist Bothaina Kamel. More than 5,200 activists, politicians, artists and ordinary citizens packed the Cairo International Conference Center earlier this month to take part in a discussion in a bid to “protect the revolution.” Attendees debated imminent challenges, including rebuilding state institutions, maintaining national unity, economic recovery, drafting a new constitution and the upcoming parliamentary elections. The Conference nominated a coordinating committee headed by Mohamed Fayek, former minister of information under late president Gamal Abdel Nasser, member of the National Council for Human Rights and founder of Arab Organization for Human Rights. Seventeen independent public figures, including outspoken engineer Mamdouh Hamza, Ezzeldin El-Hawary, Bahaa Taher, Hanna Greiss and Ibrahim Abou Gabal, are part of the committee. Fayek explained that the committee's duties include acknowledging the right of political parties (whether existing or under formation), organizations, authorities, coalitions and civil society organizations to nominate representatives in the proposed National Council; proposing a list of public figures to join the Council; and acknowledging the right of National Councils in governorates to also nominate their representatives. The committee formed sub-committee headed by Judge Zakaria Abdel Aziz to look into all appeals and complaints regarding memberships of the National Council. The National Council will hold its first meeting within a week to begin communicating with the SCAF and the government to ensure that the revolution's objectives are accomplished. “The National Council has objectives that are urgent, public and strategic,” Hamza said. “Among the strategic objectives is the constitution.” “The National Council is the only front that is working on coordinating with the SCAF,” he stressed. Each governorate will have a chapter comprising representatives in the main National Council. The coordinating committee has proposed 100 public figures to be art of this Council, including three presidential hopefuls El-Bastawisy, Moussa and activist Bothaina Kamel. But chaos pervaded the meeting hall when, as soon as Moussa's name was uttered, one attendee shouted “No! He is a remnant of the former regime!” However, Hamza dismissed the heckler, identified as Mohamed Abdel Azim, stressing that he is merely a single person who has offended the group. Other attendees said they have seen him before and that he seems to crave media attention. His political affiliation is unknown.
