CAIRO - "The trial of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, due to start next week in Cairo, won't negatively affect tourism,” Egypt's Minister of Tourism Munir Fakhri Abdel-Nur said on Thursday. Abdel-Nur added that it's better for tourism for Mubarak to be tried in Cairo, as Sharm el-Sheikh is an iconic area for tourism. Mubarak, his sons Alaa and Gamal, tycoon Hussein Salem, and former minister of interior Habib el-Adli and six of his ex-aides will be tried on August 3 on charges of being involved in killing protesters in Tahrir during the 18-day revolution last January. The Minister pointed that Mubarak has been in hospital in Sharm since April, having developed a heart complaint after being questioned about the charges against him. His staying in Sharm el-Sheikh has had a negative effect on tourism there. Abdel-Nur urged the media to help promote tourism by depicting Egypt as a safe place to visit. Some media men have been exaggerating the extent of the recent chaos in Egypt, caused by a few outlaws and thugs.
