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Egypt’s Speaker Rules out Amending the Constitution, Stresses Commitment to Elections Date

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
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
    Washington – Heba el-Koudsy
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Egypt’s Speaker Rules out Amending the Constitution, Stresses Commitment to Elections Date

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
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

Egypt’s Speaker Dr. Ali Abdel-Aal ruled out any amendment to the Egyptian Constitution, saying that there was no draft on Parliament’s agenda for the amendment, and that it was only a proposal and a desire expressed by one of the deputies.

The Egyptian presidential elections will be held on schedule in March under the emergency law, according to Abdel-Aal, who was speaking during a press conference at the end of his visit to Washington and New York. He added that there was no connection between the holding of presidential elections and the continuation of the emergency law.

He also stressed that his meetings were very fruitful, especially as he met US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster at the White House, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Republican Leader Steve Scalise, Sen. Ted Cruise and other US lawmakers in the US Intelligence and Defense committees. Abdel-Aal also met with the Appropriations Committee for US foreign aid, the US Chamber of Commerce and the Middle East Institute, and held other meetings with the Egyptian community in Washington and New York.

The speaker of the Egyptian parliament, who conducted a seven-day visit to the US at the head of a delegation of nine chairmen of parliamentary committees, said his visit was the first of an Egyptian parliamentary delegation since 2008. He noted that discussions have touched on several issues, including the fight against terrorism, the protection of borders and economic reforms.

On the nature of relations between Washington and Cairo, Abdel-Aal said it was “a strategic relationship, and Washington is counting heavily on Egypt in combating terrorism and stabilizing the Middle East, maintaining the peace treaty with Israel, bolstering Palestinian reconciliation, in addition to maintaining the stability of the eastern borders with Libya.”

As for the economic situation in Egypt, the speaker said: “We cannot hide anything. The situation is not rosy in Egypt; we have difficult economic and security conditions, as we are facing terrorism infiltrating through Libya, and the problem of tunnels at the eastern borders.”

As for the amendment of the Constitution, Abdel-Aal denied any intentions to amend it, despite his previous statements that the Constitution was not a holy book, explaining that the controversy on the subject “was because of a proposal submitted by one of the deputies to amend the Constitution.”

The Speaker underlined that that the presidential elections would be held next March, and would be supervised by the National Electoral Commission, which includes representatives of judges from the State Council, the Administrative Prosecution, the State Affairs Commission, and other judicial bodies.

He stressed in this regard that there was no connection between the holding of presidential elections and the continuation of the emergency state, explaining that the security situation in Egypt necessitated the continuation of the state of emergency.

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Arab World

How Did Iraq Survive ‘Existential Threat More Dangerous than ISIS’?

Iraqi sheikhs participate in a solidarity demonstration with Iran on a road leading to the Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located in Baghdad (AP). 
Iraqi sheikhs participate in a solidarity demonstration with Iran on a road leading to the Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located in Baghdad (AP). 
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How Did Iraq Survive ‘Existential Threat More Dangerous than ISIS’?

Iraqi sheikhs participate in a solidarity demonstration with Iran on a road leading to the Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located in Baghdad (AP). 
Iraqi sheikhs participate in a solidarity demonstration with Iran on a road leading to the Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located in Baghdad (AP). 

Diplomatic sources in Baghdad revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraqi authorities were deeply concerned about sliding into the Israeli-Iranian war, which they considered “an existential threat to Iraq even more dangerous than that posed by ISIS when it overran a third of the country’s territory.”

The sources explained that “ISIS was a foreign body that inevitably had to be expelled by the Iraqi entity, especially given the international and regional support Baghdad enjoyed in confronting it... but the war (with Israel) threatened Iraq’s unity.”

They described this “existential threat” as follows:

-When the war broke out, Baghdad received messages from Israel, conveyed via Azerbaijan and other channels, stating that Israel would carry out “harsh and painful” strikes in response to any attacks launched against it from Iraqi territory. The messages held the Iraqi authorities responsible for any such attacks originating from their soil.

-Washington shifted from the language of prior advice to direct warnings, highlighting the grave consequences that could result from any attacks carried out by Iran-aligned factions.

-Iraqi authorities feared what they described as a “disaster scenario”: that Iraqi factions would launch attacks on Israel, prompting Israel to retaliate with a wave of assassinations similar to those it conducted against Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon or Iranian generals and scientists at the start of the war.

-The sources noted that delivering painful blows to these factions would inevitably inflame the Shiite street, potentially pushing the religious authority to take a strong stance. At that point, the crisis could take on the character of a Shiite confrontation with Israel.

-This scenario raised fears that other Iraqi components would then blame the Shiite component for dragging Iraq into a war that could have been avoided. In such circumstances, the divergence in choices between the Shiite and Sunni communities could resurface, reviving the threat to Iraq’s unity.

-Another risk was the possibility that the Kurds would declare that the Iraqi government was acting as if it only represented one component, and that the country was exhausted by wars, prompting the Kurdish region to prefer distancing itself from Baghdad to avoid being drawn into unwanted conflicts.

-Mohammed Shia Al Sudani’s government acted with a mix of firmness and prudence. It informed the factions it would not tolerate any attempt to drag the country into a conflict threatening its unity, while on the other hand keeping its channels open with regional and international powers, especially the US.

-Iraqi authorities also benefited from the position of Iranian authorities, who did not encourage the factions to engage in the war but instead urged them to remain calm. Some observers believed that Iran did not want to risk its relations with Iraq after losing Syria.

-Another significant factor was the factions’ realization that the war exceeded their capabilities, especially in light of what Hezbollah faced in Lebanon and the Israeli penetrations inside Iran itself, which demonstrated that Israel possessed precise intelligence on hostile organizations and was able to reach its targets thanks to its technological superiority and these infiltrations.

-The sources indicated that despite all the pressure and efforts, “rogue groups” tried to prepare three attacks, but the authorities succeeded in thwarting them before they were carried out.

The sources estimated that Iran suffered a deep wound because Israel moved the battle onto Iranian soil and encouraged the US to target its nuclear facilities. They did not rule out another round of fighting “if Iran does not make the necessary concessions on the nuclear issue.”