CAIRO: A group of seven activists met the Kuwaiti ambassador to Cairo Monday to discuss the situation of a group of 33 expatriate Egyptians summarily expelled from Kuwait earlier this month. The men were deported to Egypt after they attempted to create a branch of the National Coalition for Change, a group headed by Mohamed ElBaradei. Lawyer Rajia Omran is a member of the Egyptian Women for Change group that met the Kuwaiti ambassador, and who also represents some of the expelled men. Omran told Daily News Egypt that while the Kuwaiti ambassador was receptive and listened to the seven members of the group, “ultimately it is not in his hands. He's just an ambassador”. Omran, Gamila Ismail, Bouthaina Kamel and other members of the group requested that the expelled Egyptians either be allowed to return to Kuwait or receive in full financial entitlements due to them under for example employment contracts. Omran said the ambassador suggested that a delegation from the group go to Kuwait to meet officials there, which members are currently discussing internally. She added that the group will pursue legal channels if diplomatic channels fail. Yesterday's meeting comes two weeks after the same group of activists attempted to reach the Kuwaiti embassy and was prevented from doing so by security bodies. The ambassador reportedly told the group that the Kuwaiti embassy played no part in the decision to ban the group from approaching the embassy, saying, “We welcome anyone at any time”.
