CAIRO: Three opposition parties – Al Wafd, Al Tagmouh, and Al Nasary (Nasserist) – have compiled a shared vision for constitutional amendments, which in theory doesn’t deviate from the guidelines the ruling party has been promoting in the media. The statement Al Wafd Party President Mounir Abdel Nour sent to The Daily Star Egypt provided …

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI on Monday made a fresh appeal for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, where he said he hopes to pay a pilgrimage if circumstances permit. The 79-year-old pontiff also called for an end to brutal violence in Iraq and a democratic Lebanon in his traditional Christmas Urbi …

Police detained five members of the main opposition Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo Sunday, along with 20 staff of a construction company owned by one of them, security sources said. It was the latest move in an escalating crackdown on the group, which holds 20 percent of the seats in parliament, since student members held a …

CAIRO: The National Democratic Party (NDP) is practically the only decision maker overseeing proposed constitutional amendments, said political analyst Diaa Rashwan. According to the constitution, there are two mechanisms by which it can be amended – either via a request from the president or from the parliament. In this case, the president has requested the …

JERUSALEM: European monitors overseeing the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt said on Thursday that Egypt made a commitment to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to keep Hamas officials from using the border to bring in funds. But top Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said later that Egypt may not stop officials from Hamas, which took control …

CAIRO: Recent reports in both Egyptian and Israeli media indicate that some seven Egyptian prisoners incarcerated in the Israeli Al Naqab (Negev) prison have embarked on a hunger strike. According to Egyptian newspaper reports that came out Thursday, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit instructed the Egyptian Embassy in Israel to follow up on the matter …

CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood reiterated their rejection of violence Thursday as they continued to come under attack over a miltia-type demonstration staged by students earlier this month. The Muslim Brotherhood reject violence, said the deputy leader of the opposition Islamist movement s parliamentary group, Hussein Ibrahim, in a statement. The statement was issued after a …

CAIRO: Egypt mediated a fresh truce between warring Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah in Gaza late Tuesday in an effort to facilitate the forming of a national unity government. Former Ambassador to Israel and member of the National Security Committee in the Shura Council Mohammed Bassiouny told The Daily Star Egypt that Egyptian officials are …

Iran the most important player in Iraq, expert says CAIRO: British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s recent visit to the region was not only to address the growing debacle in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also to rally against Iran’s growing power, a Middle East expert has said. “Conservative Arab regimes are worried about Iran’s …

CAIRO: The National Democratic Party’s policy secretariat is in the process of finalizing the party’s vision of the constitutional amendments, which would be presented to President Hosni Mubarak and consequently to the People’s Assembly and Shura Council next week. And it appears political battle lines are beginning to form. For the first time, members of …

CAIRO: In a bid to strengthen relations and increase dialogue, a group of socialist politicians arrived yesterday to meet with government officials, academics and activists. In addition to scheduled meetings with Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Abul Gheit, the European delegation, which includes the former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard, will sit down with …

CAIRO: The 35 million dollars left behind in Egypt by Palestinian premier Ismail Haniya after Israel closed the Gaza crossing was deposited into an Arab League account Monday, Egypt s Mena agency said. The 35 million dollars which was carried by prime minister Ismail Haniya as he was returning from his foreign trip, has been …

Secretary General of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Safwat Sherif said President Hosni Mubarak looks forward to a lengthy and detailed dialogue on the constitutional amendments in an effort to reach a national consensus, reported the State Information Service on Wednesday. During the ruling NDP s Secretariat General Meeting, Sherif stated that the nation …

Security forces barred a top member of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt s strongest opposition group, from traveling to Qatar on Tuesday, security and Brotherhood sources said. Essam El-Erian, who heads the Brotherhood s political department, said airport authorities told him they had been instructed by State Security officials to stop him from traveling. El-Erian, …

CAIRO: The continuing rift between Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and long-time politicos Fatah is a cause for concern for many Egyptians who are divided on how Arabs should deal with Israel. Last week, rival factions seemed closer than ever to all out war when Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya was prevented from entering the Gaza …

Violence continues between Palestinian factions despite truce, Egypt must talk to Syria expert says CAIRO: Egypt should intensify its efforts in the political as opposed to the security arena to help avert the current crisis in the Palestinian territories, an expert said. Violence in the Gaza Strip continued between Fatah, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, …

CAIRO: Ayman Nour, the jailed former head of El Ghad opposition party, was whisked right back to prison right after undergoing a cardiac catheter at Kasr El Aini hospital. He was not allowed to see his wife or lawyer. I do not know how Nour is doing after the operation as the Egyptian security guards …

CAIRO: When Kefaya, The Egyptian Movement for Change, kicked off its first pro-reform demonstration in December 2004 then continued to agitate throughout 2005, it was lauded as the cure to the political apathy of the Egyptian street; a long over-due shot in the arm to rally the masses and end the decades of political stagnation. …

CAIRO: Jailed political activist and former leader of the Al-Ghad opposition party Ayman Nour underwent a cardiac catheter in Al Qasr El Eini Hospital yesterday, his lawyer told The Daily Star Egypt. In addition to his deteriorating health, which was ground for his supporters to criticize the government for barring him from what they say …

All the unrest in the Middle East is interconnected CAIRO: US senator for Massachusetts and former American presidential candidate John Kerry told reporters on a visit to Cairo last week that more people should have heeded Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s statement in 2002 that the invasion of Iraq would lead to disaster. “Frankly, more people …

CAIRO: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif addressed the People s Assembly Tuesday in his governor s statement to report the progress and reforms the government has achieved in its first year following the presidential elections. According to him, the government has completely achieved all of the goals outlined in President Mubarak s election campaign. He raised …

CAIRO: The latest crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) culminated in the arrest of 140 members, including financier and chief strategist of the group Mohammed Khayrat Al Shater on Thursday is an unjustifiable aggravation by the state, Deputy Supreme Guide of the MB Mohammed Habib told The Daily Star Egypt. Habib added that this act …

Cairo: National Democratic Party (NDP) members of the People’s Assembly (PA) strongly condemned Sunday what they described as a military show of strength by the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated students at Al Azhar University last week. The NDP, which comprises the majority in the PA, voiced their fears of a return to violence by Islamist groups. In …

CAIRO: The last of a group of 11 French Islamists detained in Egypt last month on suspicion of involvement with terrorist organizations was deported Sunday, security sources said. Youri Sorokine flew out of Cairo early Sunday, a security official said on condition of anonymity, and could be released upon his return to France. “This file …

CAIRO: British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Saturday he thought talk of the West opening dialogue with Iran and Syria on how to defuse regional tensions and help stem violence in Iraq had been overstated . Blair criticized Tehran for backing forces that are seeking to destabilize the government of Lebanon, and Palestinian President …

Local and international human rights organizations strongly denounced the recent death sentencing of three men convicted of playing a role in the terrorist attacks in the Sinai resort town of Taba in October 2004. Monitors from the international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the trial of the three men unfair; citing several allegations of …

Canadian citizen says he was wrongly imprisoned in Egypt CAIRO: Investigators in Canada will launch a probe into allegations that a Canadian citizen suspected of links to Al-Qaeda was wrongly detained and tortured by Egyptian police, The Daily Star Egypt has learned. The investigation will look into whether Canadian security officers were implicit in the …

GAZA CITY: Dozens of armed gunmen loyal to Hamas stormed Gaza s Rafah border crossing with Egypt Thursday, after Israel ordered it closed to prevent Prime Minister Ismail Haniya from returning with tens of millions of dollars, witnesses said. Up to 80 members of Hamas s armed wing and the ruling Islamists’ security troops forced …

If you were passing by the American University in Cairo yesterday afternoon, you might have been forgiven for thinking there was rock concert held at its gates. The air trembled with full-throated, bloodcurdling screams. If the Arabs had pulled off a few of those back in Andalucia, the Spaniards would still be speaking Arabic. The …

Egypt does not oppose the peaceful applications of nuclear power in the manner Arab Gulf countries recently declared they want to pursue, an Egyptian diplomatic source told The Daily Star Egypt. The source stated “Egypt has no opposition against any country seeking a peaceful nuclear program as long as it adheres to the international standards …