Egypt's imminent cabinet reshuffle will not affect the ministers of justice, foreign affairs or the interior, said Yahia al-Gamal, a constitutional scholar and candidate for the post of deputy prime minister. He also said, in remarks on Sunday night to one of Egypt's satellite channels, that the Ministry of Information will be disbanded. Observers say the current Minister of Justice, Mamdouh Marei, was a strong supporter of former President Hosni Mubarak who used the ministry to stifle opponents by handing out harsh punishments. News reports exposed Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit's position against the demonstrators of the 25 January uprising. Leaked diplomatic cables from his office revealed his dismissal of the protesters as mere troublemakers. Al-Gamal said several new faces will join the ministries. These include Mohammed al-Sawy as Minister of Culture, Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour as Minister of Tourism, Georget Kliney as Minister of Immigration and Egyptians Abroad, Ahmed Gamal Eddin as Minister of Education, and Omar Ezzat Salama as Minister for Scientific Research. It is expected that over the next two days the new ministers will be formally sworn into office in front of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
