http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/03/201333171326603943.html
http://beforeitsnews.com/middle-east/2013/03/egyptian-army-fires-on-police-in-port-said-2449882.html
and.....
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/03/01/268970.html
But on Wednesday, Adel Abdel Sattar, the secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, in an interview with Egypt’s ONTV channel confirmed the existence of a proposal to offer Egypt’s monuments, including the pyramids in Giza, the Sphinx, the Abu Simbel Temple and the temples of Luxor, to international tourism firm.
There have been reports that the rich Gulf state of Qatar, which strongly supported efforts to oust former president Hosni Mubarak from power, is interested in a deal to exploit Egypt’s most precious historical assets for a period of five years. The return for Egypt would be a substantial amount of money, estimated at $200 billion, enough to pay the country’s national debt and heal its economic woes for years if not decades to come.
Abdel Sattar confirmed the proposal to rent out Egypt’s monuments but denied that Qatar or any Gulf state was involved.
Abdel Sattar said he was “surprised” at the end of January when the finance ministry forwarded him a proposal by Abdallah Mahfouz, identified as an Egyptian intellectual, to offer in a public auction the rights to exploit Egypt’s most famous sites to international tourism firms.
Sattar said the proposal indicated that such a move would provide a quick solution to the country’s financial deficit as it will generate about $200 billion over five years.
Despite his objection to the proposal, Sattar said he sought legal advice from the Ministry of State of Antiquities and following a meeting with the Supreme Council of Antiquities the ministry decided to send rejection letter to the finance ministry.
Monica Hanna, Egyptian archaeologist and researcher, was quoted by the [Egypt Independent][ http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/proposal-rent-egypt-monuments-refused] was a “a litmus test” to test how far can Egypt go in its struggle to overcome the economic crisis.
Kerry pledges millions for Egyptian budget | |||
US secretary of state, on first state visit to Arab world, releases $190m for Cairo and urges rival factions to unite.
Last Modified: 03 Mar 2013 18:01
| |||
Protesters at the foreign ministry held signs accusing John Kerry of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood [Reuters]
| |||
The United States will provide Egypt with the first $190m of a pledged $450m in budget support and an additional $60m to set up a joint enterprise fund, the US secretary of state has said.
John Kerry, on a regional tour that will take him to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, made the pledge on Sunday after meeting Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian president.
"Today I advised him the United States will now provide the first $190m of our pledged $450m in budget support funds," Kerry said.
Before going into talks with Morsi, Kerry met Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, chief of Egypt's military. Kerry, who flew into Cairo from Turkey on Saturday, urged a wide range of political and business leaders to reach a consensus, after months of political turmoil and unrest.
"There must be a willingness on all sides to make meaningful compromises on the issues that matter most to the Egyptian people," he told reporters after talks on Saturday with Mohammed Kamel Amr, the foreign minister.
"We do believe that in this moment of economic challenge that it is important for the Egyptian people to come together around the economic choices and to find some common ground in making those choices."
Kerry's visit, his first to the Arab world since being sworn in last month, comes with Egypt deeply divided between Morsi's mainly Islamist allies and a wide-ranging opposition that accuses Morsi of failing to address the country's economic needs and political concerns.
Plummeting reserves
During his trip, Kerry urged the Egyptian government to finalise a long-stalled loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Also on Sunday, Egyptian Finance Minister al-Mursi al-Sayed Hegazy said he hopes a deal on a $4.8bn IMF loan can be agreed before parliamentary elections begin on April 22.
The deal was agreed in principle last November but put on hold at Cairo's request following unrest on Egyptian streets.
"We expect that an agreement will happen before the elections," Higazy told reporters. "I expect and am hopeful this deal can be made before the elections."
Egypt's foreign reserves have plummeted in the two years since the revolution that overthrew longtime president Hosni Mubarak: Egypt's central bank now has less than $13.6bn in its coffers, down from $36bn in January 2011.
And was this the restrained response of the Moslem Brotherhood after getting the cash ? I'm sure the cash and the video are completely unrelated - but still........... Lol
In the video al-Mogheer and others wear "masks" with the faces of opposition group National Salvation Front, apparently mocking what the video calls “Salvation’s Last Dance.”
Al-Mogheer has also confirmed on his Twitter account that he has asked for the video to be removed from YouTube, reportedly adding that the video had "achieved its goa.l.
Unfortunately for Mogheer, while the video appears to have been removed from the account it was originally uploaded to, copies of the video are still circulating widely online.
The Harlem Shake appears to be unusually popular in Egypt, as evidenced by a large number of YouTube videos.
and......
|
http://beforeitsnews.com/middle-east/2013/03/egyptian-army-fires-on-police-in-port-said-2449882.html
Egyptian Army Fires On Police In Port Said
Sunday, March 3, 2013 13:57
Sound of gunfire continued to ring around the security directorate area in central Port Said into the early hours of Sunday night as several media outlets reported that police and army soldiers have been exchanging fire at the end of a tense day in the Suez Canal city.
During the day, some 360 people were injured in clashes between police and protesters near the security directorate on Sunday, according to Egypt's health ministry.
Military fires toward police in Egypt's Port Said after Armed Forces solider was hit by a police truck - @EgyIndependent
Report: Policeman killed, army officer wounded in Egypt's Port Said -@AlArabiya_Eng
Maybe this is too early to say but do you know what this reminds me of.. Syria. Egypt is degenrating into Syria. This is how Syria started. Beware. -Mort
and.....
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/03/01/268970.html
Cash-strapped Egypt considers offering pyramids, other monuments for rent
Friday, 01 March 2013
Egypt’s finance ministry sent a proposal to the country’s antiquities ministry to consider offering key monuments, including the pyramids, to international tourism firm as a quick solution to generate funds needed to overcome the financial crisis, an official has said.Rumors about the proposal, which some described as preposterous, have circulated online for weeks.
But on Wednesday, Adel Abdel Sattar, the secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, in an interview with Egypt’s ONTV channel confirmed the existence of a proposal to offer Egypt’s monuments, including the pyramids in Giza, the Sphinx, the Abu Simbel Temple and the temples of Luxor, to international tourism firm.
There have been reports that the rich Gulf state of Qatar, which strongly supported efforts to oust former president Hosni Mubarak from power, is interested in a deal to exploit Egypt’s most precious historical assets for a period of five years. The return for Egypt would be a substantial amount of money, estimated at $200 billion, enough to pay the country’s national debt and heal its economic woes for years if not decades to come.
Abdel Sattar confirmed the proposal to rent out Egypt’s monuments but denied that Qatar or any Gulf state was involved.
Abdel Sattar said he was “surprised” at the end of January when the finance ministry forwarded him a proposal by Abdallah Mahfouz, identified as an Egyptian intellectual, to offer in a public auction the rights to exploit Egypt’s most famous sites to international tourism firms.
Sattar said the proposal indicated that such a move would provide a quick solution to the country’s financial deficit as it will generate about $200 billion over five years.
Despite his objection to the proposal, Sattar said he sought legal advice from the Ministry of State of Antiquities and following a meeting with the Supreme Council of Antiquities the ministry decided to send rejection letter to the finance ministry.
Monica Hanna, Egyptian archaeologist and researcher, was quoted by the [Egypt Independent][ http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/proposal-rent-egypt-monuments-refused] was a “a litmus test” to test how far can Egypt go in its struggle to overcome the economic crisis.
and......
http://allafrica.com/stories/201303011380.html
No comments:
Post a Comment