Egyptian activists in the US sent a letter to President Mubarak calling on him to bring about five reforms before his visit to the United States next month. America in Arabic website said Cameel Halim, Chairman of the Coptic Assembly of America, Ahmed Sobhy Mansour, the leader of Al-Quranioun (followers of Qur'an), Saad Eddin Ibrahim, director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies, Wasfi Eddin Hamid, Chairman of the Alliance of Egyptian Americans, Omar Afifi, President of the Rights of People Organization , Dina Girgis, Chairwoman of Voices for Democracy in Egypt, Ibrahim Bashir, President of Nuba People Organization, and Akram al-Zend, Chairman of the Egyptian American Society, met this week in Washington in an undisclosed location and signed a letter and sent it to President Mubarak. The website said it got a copy of this letter, which called for: the abolition of the emergency law, the release of prisoners of conscience, the issuance of the unified law on building places of worship, taking steps towards the establishment of democracy, the establishment of the principle of separation of powers, refrain from interfering in the affairs of the judiciary, and the formation of a society of all spectra to draft a modern Constitution.
For his part, Ikram Lamei, head of the Evangelical Church's Media Committee, said this letter is a sort of "media hype" and its signatories are weightless people who do harm to national issues.
On the other hand, Hagag Adol, Nubian activist and writer, has welcomed the idea of the letter, saying: "This letter is a positive action. It should be followed by cooperation between the Egyptians at home and abroad."
He added: "This Egyptian pressure from abroad is necessary because we should not absolutely reconcile with the regime." He disclosed that there is coordination between some Nubians and Ghad (tomorrow) party to hold a conference for Ghad Party leader Ayman Nour in Nubia. "Although I will not attend the conference, Nour, in his capacity as a senior state figure, will call for the rights of the Nubians to return to their lands. It is our right to receive Nour as a leader," Adol added.
