CAIRO: Egypt's government has approved a deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia and sent it to parliament for ratification, despite a legal dispute over the plan, according to state television. The deal, announced in April, caused public uproar and rare protests by Egyptians who said the uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir belonged to their country.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com. </s> Egypt's government approves deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia

CAIRO, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Egypt's government has approved a deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia and has sent it to parliament for ratification on Thursday, according to state television.

Earlier this month, an Egyptian state advisory body recommended that a Cairo court uphold a ruling that annulled an agreement giving Saudi Arabia control of two islands.

The agreement, announced in April, caused a public uproar and rare protests by Egyptians who said the uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir were Egyptian.

In June, the Higher Administrative Court annulled the agreement, saying Egyptian sovereignty over the islands could not be given up. The Egyptian government lodged an appeal. (Reporting by Ahmed Tolba; writing by Amina Ismail; Editing by Giles Elgood) </s> Egypt's government has approved a deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia and has sent it to parliament for ratification on Thursday, according to state television.

Earlier this month, an Egyptian state advisory body recommended that a Cairo court uphold a ruling that annulled an agreement giving Saudi Arabia control of two islands.

The agreement, announced in April, caused a public uproar and rare protests by Egyptians who said the uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir were Egyptian.

In June, the Higher Administrative Court annulled the agreement, saying Egyptian sovereignty over the islands could not be given up. The Egyptian government lodged an appeal. </s> CAIRO: Egypt’s government has approved a deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia and sent it to parliament for ratification, despite a legal dispute over the plan, according to state television.

The deal, announced in April, caused public uproar and rare protests by Egyptians who said the uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir belonged to their country.

The controversy has become a source of tension with Saudi Arabia, which has provided billions of dollars of aid to Egypt but has recently halted fuel shipments amid deteriorating relations.

In June, the Higher Administrative Court annulled the agreement, saying Egyptian sovereignty over the islands could not be given up.

Earlier this month, an Egyptian state advisory body recommended the court to uphold its original decision in a report seen by Reuters.

The court is due to issue its final verdict on Jan 16 and is not obliged to follow the advisory body’s report.

The government’s latest move shows “the collapse of the state of law and the constitution” in Egypt, said Khaled Ali, a lawyer who filed the June lawsuit to annul the deal.

“The decision that parliament is going to issue is void and the people should defend their land with all legitimate means against this tyrant regime that doesn’t respect either law or judiciary,” Ali said.

Tiran and Sanafir are situated in the narrow entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba leading to Jordan and Israel.

Saudi and Egyptian officials say they belong to Saudi Arabia and were only under Egyptian control because Riyadh asked Cairo in 1950 to protect them.

Lawyers who opposed the handover said Cairo’s sovereignty over the islands dated to a 1906 treaty, before Saudi Arabia was founded.

Egypt’s govt approves deal to hand two Red Sea islands to S Arabia was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on December 30, 2016 and was last updated on December 30, 2016. This news story is related to Print/175500-Egypts-govt-approves-deal-to-hand-two-Red-Sea-islands-to-S-Arabia/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Egypt’s govt approves deal to hand two Red Sea islands to S Arabia" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/175500-Egypts-govt-approves-deal-to-hand-two-Red-Sea-islands-to-S-Arabia. </s> The Egyptian parliament approved in a final vote on Wednesday a controversial deal under which Egypt is to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian state TV reported.

The approval came during a general session that was held earlier in the day following the approval of the parliament’s defence and national security committee. The parliament’s legislative committee passed it on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

The Egyptian parliament is divided over a maritime demarcation deal signed last year, according to which Egypt will hand over the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia. The majority of members are in favour of the deal.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his administration see that the two islands originally belonged to Saudi Arabia and it is time to return them to their rightful owners, while opposers of the deal believe that the islands are Egyptian and giving them up will be sacrificing national soil for temporary interests.

Egyptian courts have previously nullified the agreement that was signed in April 2016 during a rare visit of Saudi King Salman to Egypt.

Saudi Arabia led Gulf support to Sisi’s government with billions of dollars and tons of oil supplies following the Sisi-led removal of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests. </s> Cairo: A second Egyptian Parliament committee has approved a 2016 agreement to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, hours after clashes between police and opponents of the deal in downtown Cairo.

Members of the defense and national security committee say they have approved the pact in a closed meeting on Wednesday, paving the way for the document to be ratified by the full house, a virtual foregone conclusion given that the 596-seat chamber is packed with government supporters.

Another committee approved the deal on Tuesday.

When the agreement came to light last year it sparked the biggest protests of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's rule. Eight people arrested during the clashes late Tuesday remained in custody.

Meanwhile, the government maintains the islands have always been Saudi. Critics say their transfer amounts to treason. </s> CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt's plan to hand over two uninhabited Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia under an agreement that has caused widespread controversy moved closer to fruition with parliament set to vote on the measure on Wednesday.

 Original Article </s> CAIRO (Sputnik) — In April 2016, the authorities of Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed the agreement declaring the uninhabited Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir falling within the latter's territorial waters. The deal, which needs the parliament's ratification, sparked criticism and resulted in more than 150 people reportedly jailed in connection with the protests over the agreement.

Egypt's Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Omar Marwan said that before passing to the general vote, the deal must be examined by the parliamentary defense committee, the media added.

On Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry said that the decision to hand the islands over to Saudi Arabia was taken after the conclusion had been reached by the Egyptian authorities that there was no legal foundation for Egypt's possession of the islands. Egypt occupied the two Saudi islands in 1967 to safeguard them against Israeli aggression, the minister added.

Forty-seven percent of Egyptians consider the islands located in the strategic part of the Red Sea bordered by Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as Egyptian, the poll of the independent Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research cited by the same news outlet showed Tuesday. According to the survey data, only 11 percent believe that the islands are Saudi. </s> CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt’s parliament on Wednesday backed plans to hand over two uninhabited Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia under an agreement that has attracted widespread public criticism.

An aerial view of the coast of the Red Sea and the two islands of Tiran and Sanafir is pictured through the window of an airplane near Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt November 1, 2016. Picture taken November 1, 2016. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

House of Representatives Speaker Ali Abdelaal said the required majority of lawmakers had voted for the agreement, which the government signed last year, despite a court striking it down in March.

“I announce the House’s final approval of the maritime demarcation agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed on April 8, 2016,” Abdelaal said before adjourning the session.

The treaty must now be ratified by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, which is a formality.

The vote came very swiftly. The House Committee on Defence and National Security unanimously backed the plan earlier on Wednesday and referred it to the House for a final vote.

A majority approved it less than four hours later. Those opposed to the measure stood up in protest and chanted “Egyptian, Egyptian” in reference to the islands.

“Today is a terrible day for the Egyptian people, one in which the nation has lost part of its land,” said lawmaker Haitham al-Hariri.

Several legislators opposed to the deal threatened to hold an open-ended sit-in. Some said they were considering resigning in protest.

Sisi’s government last year announced the maritime demarcation agreement with Saudi Arabia, which has given billions of dollars of aid to Egypt, ceding control of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir.

The plan triggered street protests last year from many Egyptians, who say their country’s sovereignty over the islands dates back to a treaty from 1906, before Saudi Arabia was founded.

Dozens of protesters gathered in downtown Cairo outside the press union on Tuesday evening. Eight were arrested, including three journalists, and are being held for 24 hours to be questioned on accusations of illegally protesting and insulting the president, according to state news agency MENA.

The Egyptian and Saudi governments say the islands are Saudi but have been subject to Egyptian protection since 1950 at the request of Saudi Arabia.

JURISDICTION SPAT

The treaty has been referred to the courts, irritating Riyadh and raising tensions between two Arab allies.

Egypt’s highest administrative court blocked the deal but parliament insisted the matter was constitutionally within its domain.

Parliamentary leaders and government lawyers say the House of Representatives is the only entity allowed to rule on matters of sovereignty while the Supreme Administrative Court insists it is within its jurisdiction to scrap the deal.

The Supreme Constitutional Court will rule on who has jurisdiction but has not set a date or even started discussing the issue. It was not immediately clear what the legal situation of the treaty was following Wednesday’s vote.

A government report advising parliament on the terms of the agreement said Egypt would keep administrative control over the islands and Egyptians would not need visas to visit them if they were transferred to Saudi Arabia.

Opposition groups accuse Sisi of handing over the islands to please his Saudi backers and in return for continued aid.

Saudi Arabia was Sisi’s biggest international supporter when he led the military in ousting an elected but unpopular Islamist president in 2013 following mass protests.
The Egyptian government approves a deal granting two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.