Friday, 7 January 2011

IDA to supply Egyptian steel firms with 229 million cubic meters of gas


Fri, 07/01/2011 - 12:27

Photographed by Mohamed Maarouf
Archived

Egypt's
Industrial Development Authority (IDA) on Wednesday announced plans to
supply four Egyptian steel companies that have recently obtained
steel-production licenses with 229 million cubic meters of natural gas.

“The
Abu Hashima company in Minya alone needs 109.5 million cubic meters of
gas for its production capacity of 500,000 tons of foundation steel and
500,000 tons of steel billets,” said IDA President Amr Assal.

Assal
also noted that National Steel of Upper Egypt required ten million
cubic meters to produce 70,000 tons of steel billets; Al-Marakby Steel
of 6 October City needed 54.75 million cubic meters of gas to produce
250,000 tons of foundation steel and 250,000 tons of steel billets; and
Port Said Steel needed 55 million cubic meters of gas to produce 250,000
tons of foundation steel.

“Total
steel production for the four companies stands at 1.07 million tons of
foundation steel and 1 million tons of steel billets, all of which
requires a total of 229 million cubic meters of natural gas,” he said.

Assal
also said the IDA had a further 41 million cubic meters of natural gas
set aside for steel companies that are now applying for licenses to
produce an additional 190,000 tons of steel billets.

Translated from the Arabic Edition.

Egypt admits Iranian aid into Gaza

Fri, 07/01/2011 - 14:33

Photographed by AFP
Archived

Egypt has opened the Rafah border crossing to humanitarian aid and relief from Iran to be delivered to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, Iranian media reported on Thursday.

The Iranian medical supplies are part of an Asian aid convoy, dubbed Asia 1, which is carrying an estimated one million dollars worth of medicine, foodstuffs and toys as well as four buses and 10 power generators for hospitals.

Last week, Egyptian authorities had denied entrance to a number of Iranian activists and refused to allow 10 generators donated by Tehran to pass through Rafah, the semi-official Iranian Press TV said.

The relief supplies have been unloaded from a ship organized by the convoy, which has docked at the Egyptian port of El Arish.

The Asian convoy consists of activists from more than 15 countries, including Iran, India, Japan, Indonesia and Kuwait.

Talk won't protect Christians, Paris says

Fri, 07/01/2011 - 13:02

Photographed by AFP
Archived

Paris--The time for making statements of concern regarding the Christian community in the Middle East is over, the French foreign minister said.

The Christian community in the Middle East is on edge following a series of attacks in Egypt, Iraq and Nigeria.

The global community has expressed concern over the rise in the number attacks. Egyptian police were ordered to protect Coptic Christians in Egypt as the minority community prepares for Christmas celebrations on Thursday.

Michele Alliot-Marie, the French minister for foreign and European affairs, told French newspaper 20 Minutes that expressing concern wasn't enough.

"The time for making statements and expressing concern is over," she was quoted as saying. "This is why I'm going to take a number of initiatives with my European colleagues to ensure the protection of Eastern Christians."

She said Paris opened its doors to Iraqi Christians injured in an October attack on a Christian church in Baghdad but added she felt they were letting "their attacker win" by not returning home.

"Nevertheless, if some people consider themselves unsafe, it's reasonable for them to be given asylum," she said.

There will be enough churches in Egypt, says premier


Fri, 07/01/2011 - 18:47

Photographed by Tahseen Bakr
Archived

Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif rejected on Saturday a “free-for- all” policy to build mosques and churches, a reference to increasing demands by Coptic Christian to build more churches.

Nazif, however, said that the government will make sure that there will be enough worship places for both Muslims and Christians.

After meeting Pope Shenouda III, the spiritual leader of Egypt’s Copts, Nazif told reporters that “there is an organization for building worship places, but it won’t be free-for-all.”

“We are putting restriction on building mosques and churches, but at the same time we will make sure that there will be enough places of worship,” he added.

Egypt’s Christians have long complained of heavy government bureaucratic restrictions for building churches.

The unified places-of-worship draft law was first proposed by the ruling National Democratic Party in 2005 in an effort to regulate the construction of mosques and churches in Egypt--but was never officially endorsed.

Christians have long complained of constraints imposed by the current law--dating back to 1856--which conditions the building of churches on presidential approval. Although President Hosni Mubarak issued a presidential decree authorizing governors to provide permits for building churches in 2005, many Copts claim the decree has failed to change the status quo in light of widespread fears that building new churches could provoke Muslim residents, especially in Upper Egypt.

According to the Ministry of Religious Endowments, there are over 93,000 mosques in Egypt, while the number of churches is around 2,000--not enough, apparently, to serve Egypt's Copts, who constitute roughly seven percent of the national population.

On Thursday, Nazif told reporters that the government is determined to introduce anti-religious discrimination articles into the Egyptian Law in order to guarantee that all Egypt’s citizens are treated on equal bases.

Egypt’s prosecutors to investigate Islamist allegedly tortured to death


Fri, 07/01/2011 - 16:05

Photographed by طارق الفرماوي
Archived

Alexandria--Egyptian authorities will investigate allegations that a Salafi preacher was tortured to death in Alexandria, 24 hours after being arrested by State Security Investigation officers for possible links with a suicide bombing that rocked a church in the coastal city, a lawyer said on Friday.

Two independent Egyptian news websites reported on Friday that 31-year-old Sayed Bilal was tortured to death on Wednesday before the police buried him “against the consent of his family” a day later. They said that several Salafi websites have circulated photos and videos of Bilal allegedly showing signs of torture and physical abuse.

Al-Masry Al-Youm could not independently verify the authenticity of the photos. The Interior Ministry could not be reached to comment on the allegations.

“Alexandria District Attorney Office ordered an investigation after Bilal’s family filed a complaint on Friday,” Lawyer Haitham Abu Khalil of Alexandria-based Dhahaya Center for Human Rights told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Twenty three Coptic Christians were killed when a suicide bomber targeted the Church of St. Mark and St. Peter in Alexandria in Saturday’s New Year’s mass.

Alexandria is a stronghold of Salafis, who are blamed of inciting anti-Christian sentiments through religious sermons and television programs.

Last week, authorities held 20 people for questioning over the bombing, security sources said.

Conflicting reports have circulated about the authenticity of a digitally reconstructed photo of a 25-year-old man who is thought to be behind the suicide attack.

Earlier this week, Egyptian authorities have hinted that al-Qaeda could be behind the attack, the deadliest against Copts in decades.

Media outlets quoted security sources on Thursday as revealing that the culprit had used a 25-kilogram improvised explosive device (IED), which he possibly carried in a school bag.

On Wednesday, the ministry announced the discovery of an unidentified corpse which it suspects of belonging to the suicide bomber.

An Iraqi group linked to al-Qaeda threatened the Coptic Church in Egypt with attack in November and a statement on an Islamist website, posted about two weeks before the Alexandria bombing, urged Muslims to attack Coptic churches in Egypt and elsewhere.

All 'on track' for south Sudan vote


UN praises Sudan's Bashir for vote progress as observers aim for legitimacy of south referendum.

Middle East Online


'A very conducive environment'

JUBA, Sudan – Preparations for south Sudan’s independence referendum are "on track" with just three days to go before the historic vote, the head of United Nations peacekeepers in the south said on Thursday.

"Everything appears to be on track for the region's 2,638 polling centres, which are scheduled to open at 8 am (0500 GMT) on January 9," said David Gressly, head of the United Nations Mission to Sudan in the south.

"The many sceptics who never thought southern Sudan would be ready to hold its referendum by next Sunday were proven wrong," he told reporters in the regional capital Juba.

Gressly said that violent attacks were running at their lowest level since the 2005 peace agreement that put an end to two decades of civil war between north and south, creating propitious conditions for last month's voter registration and the run-in to the seven days of polling.

"For the last several weeks -- several months probably -- we have seen the lowest level of insecurity in southern Sudan since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement has been signed," he said.

"It has been a very conducive environment for the registration, and we expect the same to continue for the polling period."

"The general security situation is currently stable, generally quiet," said Gressly, although he noted that cattle raiders in Lakes state killed 11 people and wounded 25 last Saturday.

North-south tensions have also eased, he said.

"Tensions along the north-south border have eased over the last three weeks," he said.

"Reports of major troop build-ups on either side of the north-south border appear to have been exaggerated."

Arriving in Sudan on Thursday, former US president Jimmy Carter urged Khartoum to accept peacefully the results of the referendum, regardless of its outcome.

"Just accept the decision of the southerners in the referendum peacefully, no matter whether it is to stay part of Sudan or to form a new nation," said the statesman who heads the Carter Centre, one of the main international bodies charged with monitoring the vote.

Gressly said that returnees from the north are arriving back at a rate of some 2,000 a day, noting that 143,000 had returned since the end of October.

UN praises Sudan rivals for vote progress

The UN Security Council on Thursday praised the rival governments in northern and southern Sudan for surprising the international community with their efforts to make sure the secession vote this weekend goes ahead peacefully.

The UN Security Council said in a statement that members "welcome the progress made towards the holding of a peaceful and credible southern Sudan referendum that reflects the will of the people."

In a rare act of praise for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, the council said members "appreciate" his comments made this week, saying that his government would accept the outcome of the vote.

It also praised an equally conciliatory message from his rival head of the south's government Salva Kiir in his New Year message.

Diplomats said Bashir's attitude has changed as it has become clearer that southern Sudan would vote for the breakup of Africa's biggest nation.

"I think we have got on top of this issue in a way that makes it clear that the international community is expecting this to happen and happen in a peaceful way," said one Security Council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The council urged the two sides to make sure the vote and the count take place "in an atmosphere of peace and calm." It also noted "with deep concern" the lack of agreement on the Abyei region where the self-determination vote has been postponed.

Observers aim for legitimacy of south Sudan vote

With the fate of Africa's largest nation in the balance in the vote on south Sudanese independence that opens on Sunday, a massive training effort has been under way to make sure it is seen as fair.

At centres across the vast region, south Sudanese of all ages have been undergoing instruction on what it takes to staff a polling station properly and what electoral observers should do to ensure it is seen to be done so.

After decades of civil war, views across the south are inevitably strong but election staff are taught they must be scrupulously impartial in the face of the vocal campaign of street posters and marches by independence supporters.

Among the challenges facing polling station staff will be to ensure a largely illiterate electorate knows how to cast their vote without it being deemed spoilt.

An incorrect fold of the ballot paper risks leaving the indelible ink applied to voters' fingerprints on both yes and no sides, leading to its disqualification.

An umbrella group of civic organisations, the Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE), has been conducting a voter education drive in marketplaces and outside churches to make sure voters know how to make their opinion count.

They have also been training up a battery of observers to monitor the conduct of the vote.

Harriet Baka Nathan, one of more than 160 additional observers who underwent an instruction course with SuNDE in the regional capital Juba this week, explained the requirements set to ensure new recruits added to the transparency of the referendum.

"You must sign the non-partisan pledge and you must be Sudanese and 18 years of age and you must be trustworthy," she said.

SuNDE will be fielding more than 2,500 observers at polling stations across the south, 10 times as many as the European Union and the Carter Centre foundation of former US president Jimmy Carter put together.

Their local knowledge and reports on the conduct of the vote in the more far-flung villages are likely to be a major input into the overall assessment of the international missions.

The verdict of the international observer missions is likely to play the determining role in how the outcome of the referendum is seen by the outside world, whether or not it leads to the birth of a new nation this July.

It is not just the majority either way that is at issue but also the turnout -- the 2005 peace deal between north and south that provided for the referendum requires that at least 60 percent of registered voters cast a ballot.

If independence supporters, who include the south's autonomous regional government and its security forces, are seen to have herded voters into polling stations to ensure the quorum has been reached by the end of the week-long polling, any new nation risks being seen as the fruit of an illegitimate birth.

Egypt Copts mark Christmas with Muslim support



Muslims show up at churches to act as human shields in show of solidarity with Egypt's Christians.

Middle East Online


'We feel stronger because of the support of our Muslim compatriots'

CAIRO - Armoured cars were to be stationed next to churches in Egypt Friday as Coptic Christians celebrate their Christmas just days after a church bombing that killed 21 people.

Drivers were banned from parking in front of churches, which were being tightly monitored by explosives detection teams and police, said a police official. Under the Coptic calendar, Christmas Day falls on January 7.

Some Muslims would also show up at churches to act as human shields in a show of solidarity with Egypt's beleaguered Christian community, which accounts for 10 percent of the country's 80 million people.

The measures came after Egypt's Coptic Christians attended Christmas Eve services Thursday behind cordons of steel put up by security forces.

Security officials said at least 70,000 officers and conscripts had been deployed across the country to secure churches as Copts attended Christmas Eve mass.

Police said one primitive explosive device -- a tin can filled with fire crackers, nails and bolts, but with no detonator -- had been found in a church in the southern city of Minya.

The official Al-Ahram newspaper reported that security would also be tightened around tourist resorts.

Hundreds of worshippers gathered on Thursday at the Saints Church in Alexandria, the site of Saturday's bombing. They were guarded by dozens of police and anti-riot vehicles.

In Alexandria, 27-year-old Maureen, dressed in black, said: "To survive, we Copts must confront our fear and pain. We have to be stronger than the terrorists. That's why I am coming to mass."

Maher, 50, arrived for the mass with his wife and two daughters. "Our sorrow is great, but we feel stronger because of the support of our Muslim compatriots," he said.

Others converged on Saint Mark's Cathedral in Cairo, where the head of the Coptic Church, Pope Shenuda III, conducted the service, attended by several government members and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's two sons Alaa and Gamal.

In Moqattam, a poor Cairo district with a large Coptic population, residents said the threat of further attacks would not deter them from going to church.

"With Al-Qaeda's threats, we anticipate further attacks but we are not afraid. God protects us," said Adel al-Wazir.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which came after threats to Egypt's Copts from an Al-Qaeda-linked group in Iraq that had said it was behind a deadly October assault on a Syriac Catholic church in Baghdad.

The group, the Islamic State of Iraq, said it would attack Copts if their church failed to release two women it claimed were being held against their will after converting to Islam.

President Mubarak has vowed to find those responsible for the New Year's Day bombing, which he said targeted all Egyptians, regardless of their faith, and blamed "foreign hands."