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SCAF and political groups meet; FJP absent Meeting to discuss proposed amendments to process of constitution-writing; some parties attend, while others including FJP refuse
Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi is holding a meeting on Tuesday afternoon with several political parties and a number of political figures at the Ministry of Defense. The meeting is set to discuss the SCAF-appointed advisory council's proposed amendments to Article 60 of the constitutional declaration. The advisory council's proposed amendments would take away from parliament the power to choose the members of the constituent assembly that will be tasked with drawing up the constitution. Several representatives however have announced they would not be attending. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), stating on its official website that it is not appropriate to take part in such a meeting at the current time, in light of the protests being held Tahrir. The Egyptian Social Democratic Party headed by Mohamed Abul-Ghar and the Al-Wasat Party headed by Abul Ela Madi have also announced they would not attend the meeting. Those taking part in the meeting are the Salafist Al-Nour Party; liberal Wafd Party, liberal Free Egyptians Party, Islamist Building and Development Party, Reform and Development Party, Al-Karama Party, Leftists Taggamu Party, Al-Assala Party, Al-Adl Party and The Democratic Front Party. A number of independent MP's also attending including Mostafa Bakry, Marianne Kamal, Yasser El-Kadi, and Mohamed Abu-Hamed. Issued by the SCAF after last year's revolution, the constitutional declaration was approved via popular referendum, though other items were later added. Article 60 assigns parliament the task of choosing the members of the assembly mandated to draft the new constitution. The amendment suggests that the assembly includes head of parties in the parliament, heads of judiciary bodies, elected heads of syndicates and representative of civil society, in order to ensure that the assembly is not dominated by one political current. Twenty public figures representing women, youth and Copts would also be included, though who would choose them remains unclear. Days after the formation of the first assembly, a mass walkout jeopardised the constitution-drafting body in April. Members from liberal and leftist parties, independent prominent figures and representatives of professional and trade unions as well as representatives of the Coptic Church and Egypt's main Islamic authority, Al-Azhar, all pulled out, citing disproportionate representation of Egyptian society. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/43892.aspx
