Egyptian newspapers today focused on the bonuses paid to public personalities by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education prior to the January 25 Revolution as well as statements made by the Director-General of the al-Nour Party regarding their position on tourism. Youm7 Documents obtained by Youm7 reveal that former Egyptian Ministers of Higher Education Hany Helal and Amr Ezzat Salama paid large sums of money from the Strategic Planning Fund as bonuses to the secretariat, public personalities and officers from the Interior Ministry. The ministry provided 27,000 EGP (U.S. $4,522) to the former governor of Beni Suef as a monthly bonus, while other documents reveal that 30,000 EGP (U.S. $5,025) was paid to the executive secretary. Large sums were also paid to police officers for their service to the ministry. Al-Ahram Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak wasted an historic opportunity to provide real democracy to the Egyptian people through fair and free elections in 2005, said former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. She said that she visited Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh in June 2005 and asked to talk with him in private to avoid embarrassing the former president. She advised Mubarak to conduct free and fair elections. Al-Masry Al-Youm The al-Nour Party, the political wing of the Salafi Movement, today held an electoral conference in Ras al-Sawda Sqaure in Alexandria. The organizers covered a statue in the middle of the square with clothes, claiming that the statue was a violation of Islamic teachings. The leaders have in the past declared their condemnation of the statues, a matter that has raised controversy and criticism of the Salafi Movement. Al-Akhbar The al-Nour Party has popularity all over the country, said Director-General of the Party Osama Abdel-Monsef, adding that the Party will confront all smear campaigns being waged against it. He also demanded the peaceful reestablishment of state institutions, adding that State Security will not control the next elections. He also criticized those who condemn the Salafis for their position on tourism, adding that the Movement does not reject tourism. We accept tourism that is compatible with the principles of Islamic Law and we will work to cleanse tourism in Egypt, he added. Al-Shorouq U.S. President Barack Obama told his advisors that former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak asked him to intervene in the January 25 Revolution, said U.S. author David Ajnaius. Obama allegedly refused by saying, “if we interfere, we will fail.” There is American fear that the Egyptian revolution could turn violent or lead to sectarian tension between Muslims and Copts, particularly if the Salafis manage to take power, the author continued. Obama asked Mubarak to leave authority in a message carried by the U.S. ambassador to Cairo in the 1980s, Franck Coners, who had a cordial relationship with the former Egyptian leader, the author added. Al-Gomhorreya Egyptian Minister of Manpower Ahmed al-Borai today said that he is keen to support affiliations between Egyptians abroad and unions in the country.
