Cairo, April 3 (IANS) The Egyptian parliament has preliminarily approved a new law to establish a supreme council for combating terrorism, the media reported.

Citing Ahram news website, Xinhua on Tuesday reported the final vote on the 20-article law was postponed until a later meeting due to the lack of two-thirds of parliament members as required by the Egyptian constitution.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi originally ordered the creation of the Supreme Council for Combating Terrorism and Extremism after meeting with the National Defence Council following terrorist attacks last year.

The law approval came hours before official announcement of Sisi’s victory in Egypt’s 2018 presidential election.

The law, which was referred to parliament early this week, aims to mobilize all the country’s forces not only to rid the country of terrorist elements, but also to contain extremist and radical ideologies, said head of the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Bahaa Abu Shoqa.

According to the law, the council will forge a national anti-terrorism and counter-extremism strategy every five years.

The council, which will be led by the president and composed of 17 members, will coordinate with religious, security and media institutions to spread moderate religious thoughts, said the law.

The council will also amend legislation to better support the battle against terrorism, and amend educational curriculums to spread ideas of citizenship and tolerance in schools and universities.

According to the law, the council will move to set up a regional coalition of Arab countries to exchange information and boost cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Egypt has been suffering from a wave of terror attacks that have killed hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians since the army toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

The Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country’s anti-terror war. </s> Egypt: Parliament Approves Forming Supreme Council for Countering Terrorism

A general view shows members of the Egyptian parliament attending the opening session at the main headquarters of Parliament in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer

Cairo- Waleed Abdul Rahman

Egypt’s parliament preliminarily approved on Monday a draft law on establishing a Supreme Council for ‎Combating Terrorism and Extremism ‎‎(SCCTE), which is headed by the Egyptian president and includes 18 official members.



The Prime Minister, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and defense and interior ministers are expected to occupy seats in the council.



"The council will consist of the prime ‎minister, parliament speaker, grand sheikh ‎of Al-Azhar, Pope of the Coptic Church, ‎minister of defence, minister of religious endowments, ‎minister of youth and sports, minister of ‎social solidarity, minister of foreign affairs, ‎minister of interior, minister justice, minister ‎of telecommunications, minister of ‎education, and minister of higher ‎education," says the law, adding that "it ‎will also include chief of general ‎intelligence, head of the Administrative ‎Control Authority (ADA), and other public ‎figures who can contribute to SCCTE's ‎strategy."‎



Last July, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree establishing the council to develop policies aimed at “countering extremism.”



The new draft law aims at committing the state to confront terrorism in all its forms and its sources of funding according to a specific timetable, whilst protecting rights and freedoms by mobilizing social institutional capacities to reduce and counter causes of terrorism, the bill says.



Parliamentary sources said that a number of deputies demanded that the SCCTE should include civilian experts.



Sources pointed out that “the council will also aim to address the aftermath of terrorism.”



Egypt is fighting ISIS’ self-proclaimed state in Sinai which has been advocating terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula since the ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi from power in 2013.



The SCCTE also faces elements and armed movements belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt considers a terrorist organization.



Muslim Brotherhood militants have cranked up violence in the past months, targeting both civilians and police alike.



Most MPs heaped praise on the law, ‎agreeing that it will help forge a national ‎strategy necessary to help the country's ‎battle against terrorism and extremism.



MP ‎Abdel-Fattah Mohamed said "Muslim ‎Brotherhood-affiliated elements are still ‎widespread in government sectors and ‎schools, and the role of the new council is ‎to strike with an iron hand on these elements."‎



Article one of the law states that the council will forge ‎a national anti-terrorism and counter-extremism strategy ‎every five years.



“This strategy should ‎mobilize all the country's forces to combat ‎terrorism and extremism,” reads the article, ‎adding that “the SCCTE's headquarters will ‎be in Cairo.” </s> CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has called for a state of emergency for three months after two suicide bombings killed scores of Christians in two church attacks on Palm Sunday.

El-Sissi accused countries he didn’t name of fueling instability in Egypt, saying that “Egyptians have foiled plots and efforts by countries and fascist, terrorist organizations that tried to control Egypt.”

The army chief-turned-president hasn’t detailed the legal measures needed to declare the state of emergency but according to the Egyptian constitution, the parliament majority must vote in favor of the state of emergency.

Egypt declared a state of emergency in the months that followed the military ouster of the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi when his supporters staged mass demonstrations that descended into violence.

The Egyptian president declared three days of nationwide mourning following the suicide bombings.

In response to the attack, the country will form a supreme council to counter terrorism and extremism, Sisi said on state television Sunday after an emergency meeting of the country’s National Defense Council.

“We have to pay attention because of Egypt and Egypt’s future. We know this is a big sacrifice but we are capable of facing it,” he said.

“The attack will not undermine the resolve and true will of the Egyptian people to counter the forces of evil, but will only harden their determination to move forward on their trajectory to realize security, stability and comprehensive development,” the President said in a statement.

Nile and Masriya TV, Egyptian state outlets, aired black banners in the upper left of its newscasts to signify mourning for the victims of both explosions. </s> Egypt declares three-month state of emergency after Palm Sunday church bombings kill 44

Updated

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has declared a three-month state of emergency after suicide bombers targeted two Coptic churches, killing at least 44 people and injuring dozens more in the run-up to Easter.

Key points: Under emergency law constitutional rights are suspended, police are given more power

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks

Attacks on Coptic churches in Muslim-majority Egypt occur regularly

At least 27 people were killed and 78 injured in the first blast at a Coptic church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, north of Cairo, Egypt's Health Ministry said.

The second blast, in front of a Christian church in Alexandria on the country's north coast, killed 17 and injured at least 48 others, the ministry added.

It said the Alexandria explosion was caused by a suicide bomber who tried to storm the entrance before being stopped by police.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for both attacks, saying two of its fighters wearing suicide vests carried out the attacks, and warned of more to come.

The assault is the latest on a religious minority increasingly targeted by Islamist militants, and presents a challenge to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has pledged to protect Coptic Christians as part of his campaign against extremism.

In a televised speech to the nation, Mr Sisi declared a three-month countrywide state of emergency, subject to parliamentary approval, and called for national unity and urged the media to refrain from coverage that could be harmful.

Under instated emergency law, constitutional rights are suspended, censorship is legalised and police are able to arrest and detain citizens indefinitely without charge.

Mr Sisi, a former army chief who came to power following a coup in 2013, also dispatched elite troops across the country to protect key installations and accused unidentified countries of fuelling instability.

"Egyptians have foiled plots and efforts by countries and fascist, terrorist organisations that tried to control Egypt," he declared.

Egypt had been under emergency law for decades until the 2011 revolution, which eventually led to the law becoming redundant as the country was placed under martial law following the 2013 coup.

Egyptian governments however have long been criticised for abusing the emergency law to persecute citizens, and activists are questioning Mr Sisi's motive in reinstating it given the impunity with which he currently maintains ruling the country.

Coptic Christians: Egypt's persecuted minority

The blasts on Palm Sunday were the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt's Christian minority, which makes up around 10 per cent of the population and has been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists.

Copts face regular attacks by Muslim neighbours, who burn their homes and churches in poor rural areas, usually in anger over an inter-faith romance or the construction of a church.

The latest attacks came just one week before Coptic Easter, and in the same month Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Egypt.

Pope Tawadros II, the leader of the Coptic church, was in the Alexandria cathedral at the time of the bombing but was unhurt, the Interior Ministry said.

"These acts will not harm the unity and cohesion of the people," Pope Tawadros II said after the attacks.

It was the single deadliest day for Christians in Egypt in decades, and the worst since a bombing at a Cairo cathedral in December killed around 30 people.

Pope Francis expressed his "deepest condolences" to all Egyptians and to the head of the Coptic Church during his Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square.

"I pray for the dead and the victims. May the Lord convert the hearts of people who sow terror, violence and death and even the hearts of those who produce and traffic in weapons," he said.

US President Donald Trump, a strong supporter of Mr Sisi who recently invited him to the White House, expressed his condolences on Twitter.

"So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. U.S. strongly condemns. I have great confidence that President Al Sisi will handle situation properly," Mr Trump wrote.

CBC TV showed footage from inside the Tanta church, where a large number of people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers.

"There was blood all over the floor and body parts scattered," a woman who was inside the church at the time of the attack said.

"There was a huge explosion in the hall. Fire and smoke filled the room and the injuries were extremely severe," another woman, Vivian Fareeg, said.

"Where is the Government?" screamed Maged Saleh, who rushed to the church in Tanta where his mother escaped the carnage. "There is no Government!"

"After the explosion, everything became dark from the smoke," said Edmond Edward, attending Mass in Tanta with his brother, Emil, who suffered head wounds.

"There was a clear lapse in security, which must be tightened from now on to save lives," he said, adding that the blast appeared to be centred near the altar.

Egypt struggles to combat wave of Islamic militancy

Egypt has struggled to combat a wave of Islamic militancy since the 2013 military overthrow of elected Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.

A local Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the December bombing in Cairo.

In February, Christian families and students fled Egypt's North Sinai province in droves after the Islamic State group began a spate of targeted killings there.

A militant group called Liwa al-Thawra claimed responsibility for an April 1 bomb attack targeting a police training centre in Tanta, which wounded 16 people.

The group, believed to be linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, has mainly targeted security forces and distanced itself from attacks on Christians.

AP/Reuters

Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, eastern-churches, terrorism, egypt

First posted </s> CAIRO — Egypt’s chief prosecutor has referred 555 terror suspects to a military court on charges of joining a local affiliate of the Islamic State group.

Monday’s statement by the prosecutor says the suspects formed dozens of small militant cells and carried out 63 attacks against army and police forces in the restive northern part of the Sinai Peninsula.

It says only 216 of the 555 suspects are in custody.

Egypt has been battling Islamic militants for years, but the insurgency gathered steam and grew deadlier after the 2013 ouster by the military of Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist president whose year in office proved divisive.

In February, authorities launched a wide-scale operation in Sinai, the Nile Delta and the Western Desert to target “terrorist and criminal elements and organizations.” </s> FILE PHOTO: Former Prime Minister and presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq attends a news conference in Cairo, Egypt May 14, 2012. Photo: Reuters

JOHANNESBURG – Former Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Shafik has said via his Twitter account he will no longer challenge incumbent President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in this year’s elections.

“I saw that I will not be the ideal person to lead the state during the coming period. Thus I have decided not to run in the upcoming 2018 presidential elections,” Shafik said in a statement posted on the social media site on Sunday.

The former air force commander had been seen as the most serious challenge to Sisi even though the president has not officially announced his candidacy.

Egypt’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) will on Monday afternoon announce the timetable of the country’s upcoming presidential elections – expected in the spring of 2018 – and details of the electoral process.

The independent NEC, established by a presidential decree in August 2017, is a 10-member commission and has sole responsibility for supervising general elections and referendums in Egypt.

The president of Egypt is elected using the two-round system, as outlined in Egypt’s constitution.

Election proceedings are to begin no later than 120 days before the end date of the current presidential term on June 7, 2018, and results will be announced no later than 30 days before the end of the current presidential term.

The last presidential elections were held in May 2014, with Sisi securing 96 percent of the vote against his sole competitor, Hamdeen Sabahi, a leftist and leader of the Egyptian Popular Current party Hamdeen Sabahi. </s> Egypt's ground troops in a full-scale offensive against militants in North and Central Sinai on Friday, February 9,2018- Phoro courtesy of the Armed Forces Spokesperson's Facebook page

CAIRO – 14 April 2018: The Armed Forces foiled a major terrorist attack, which occurred at the early hours of Saturday in central Sinai, Military Spokesperson Tamer el-Refae announced.A group of 14 terrorist elements, four of which were carrying automatic and medium-caliber rifles attempted to break into an armed forces camp.Having been strapped with explosives, the four terrorist elements blew themselves up near the camp, which led to the killing of eight armed forces officers.Egypt extended its nationwide state of emergency for three months as of April 14, according to the official gazette.Sinai 2018 is being carried out by the Armed Forces, in cooperation with the combat units of the Interior Ministry, since Feb. 9. These anti-terror units continue to launch raids targeting terrorist hideouts, as well as arms and ammunition warehouses in Northern and Central Sinai, according to the statement.Since the ousting of ex-Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt has seen growing waves of extremism washing over the society and spawning numerous deadly attacks. Among these attacks was the terrorist attack that hit Al-Rawdah Mosque and left more than 302 Friday prayers congregates dead in late November 2017.A month earlier, the Interior Ministry announced that 16 security officers were killed during clashes with militants in Wahat in the Western Desert; the clashes also led to the killing of 15 militants. </s> The parliament, which is the Council of Representatives, is the main legislative body in the country. It has 329 seats, nine of which are reserved for representatives of ethnic and religious minorities, including five seats for Christians. The remaining 320 seats are distributed among 18 Iraqi provinces.

In line with the Iraqi legislation, one member of the parliament represents 100,000 people, and women should occupy 25 percent of all seats.

READ MORE: Iraqi Forces Foil Terror Attack During First Elections Since Daesh Defeat — MP

A nominee to the Council of Representatives must be an Iraqi citizen with a college education and no involvement in a crime. The law does not allow members of the Council of Representatives to simultaneously occupy another official position or engage in business activities.

​The election is held every four years. The new lawmakers are elected no later than 45 days before the previous parliament completes its duties. The vote for a lawmaker is cast by direct secret ballot on the single day of universal voting designated by order of the Presidential Council.

READ MORE: Iraqi Parliamentary Vote Guided by Issues, Not Sectarianism

The responsibility for organizing elections rests with the Supreme Independent Election Commission (SIEC) of Iraq.

The election is based on a proportionate system. Once the election threshold is met, mandates are distributed among the lists of candidates in proportion to the votes cast for them. Iraqis living abroad also have the right to vote.

In order to prevent to prevent the election tampering, automatic voter registration (AVR) was introduced.

In 2013, the authorities introduced a new method of distributing mandates – the Sainte-Lague method. It increases the chances that small parties will be elected to the parliament. According to this method, seats are distributed consecutively and are occupied by those who have a higher coefficient calculated on the basis of a formula.

READ MORE: US Is Responsible for Discord in Iraq — Iraqi Ex-Defense Minister

Within 30 days since the start of the first session, members of the Council of Representatives must choose a new president of the country among its members. In the next 15 days, the parliamentary bloc that won the elections should submit for the approval of the president a candidate for the position of the prime minister.

​The Council of Representatives approves the national budget, monitors the activities of the executive, and exercises certain other powers, for instance, approving the heads of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Department of Court Inspections, and the chief of the Army General Staff. It also ratifies international agreements. By an absolute majority vote, the Council of Representatives can pass a no-confidence motion against any government minister and relieve the president of his duties before his term expires. </s> (AFP) CAIRO, Egypt — President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency in Egypt following twin church bombings that killed dozens of people in two cities on Sunday.

Sisi announced the “state of emergency for three months” in a defiant speech at the presidential palace after a meeting of the national defence council.

The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the church bombings in the Nile Delta cities of Alexandria and Tanta in which at least 44 people were killed.

The emergency law expands police powers of arrest, surveillance and seizures and can limit freedom of movement.

Egypt had been ruled for decades under a state of emergency, which was cancelled a month before Islamist president Mohamed Morsi took power in 2012.

Rescinding it had been a main demand of Egyptian rights activists during the 2011 revolt that overthrew veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak.

Following Morsi’s overthrow by Sisi, then an army chief, in 2013, a state of emergency was declared for a month after deadly clashes between police and Islamist protesters killed hundreds and Islamist mobs attacked Christian properties.

Part of North Sinai where the Islamic State group’s Egyptian affiliate is based has remained under a state of emergency.
The Egyptian Parliament approves a draft law creating the 18-member Supreme Council for ‎Combating Terrorism and Extremism. The new body is headed by the President and is expected to also contain the Prime Minister, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the defence and interior ministers. The new body replaces the National Council to Combat Terrorism and Extremism created by Presidential decree by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in 2017.