AILY EWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2013 N D ISSUE NO. 2152 NEWSTAND PRICE LE 4.00 EGYPT www.thedailynewsegypt.com Egypt’s Only Daily Independent Newspaper In English BLAMING THE OTHER GUY 7th time’s the CHARM LET’s rOLL Amnesty International called the Contract workers hold their Cairorollers has high hopes at Port Said trial verdicts an attempt at seventh sit-in in Ain Sokhna, starting a roller derby league ‘scapegoating’ without providing demanding fulltime employment in Egypt answers 2 at a factory they built 3 8 Egypt refuses IMF emergency funding Activist Hassan Mustafa Hegazy: ‘It IS OUR RIGHT TO RECEIVE THE full $4.8bn loan’ sentenced to 2 years By Rana Muhammad Taha Mohamed said. The first offer was By Nada Badawi also declined by Mustafa and his family. Alexandrian political activist Hassan Mahienour El-Massry, a politi- Egypt has refused an International Mustafa was sentenced to two years cal activist in Alexandria, said that Monetary Fund (IMF) ‘bridge loan’ in prison on Tuesday. He was arrested protesters are gathering outside Al- of $750m in emergency funds, an- on 21 January, accused of physically Mansheya Court. El-Massry was with nounced Minister of Finance Al-Mor- attacking a prosecutor. Mustafa during the incident when he si Hegazy in a press conference on Hamdy Khalaf, Mustafa’s lawyer and allegedly attacked Darwish. Tuesday. one of the witnesses who testified in “There’s going to be a protest “We have done what was required court, said: “We were surprised with condemning the verdict,” she said. of us in terms of the social and eco- the verdict. It is an insult to lawyers.” “People are already rallying up.” nomic reform programme,” he said. Khalaf, alongside two other lawyers, Political activists in Cairo and Alex- “It is our right as a nation, and as a testified in court denying that Mustafa andria called for marches in solidarity member nation of the IMF, to receive attacked prosecutor Ahmed Darwish with Mustafa on Tuesday evening. 300% of our quota, or $4.8bn.” in their presence. “Another march is planned to take Minister of Planning and Interna- “Darwish’s medical report stated place in Alexandria on Friday follow- tional Cooperation Ashraf El-Araby that he suffers from ‘a reddened left ing prayers,” Mohamed said. said on Sunday that Egypt does not cheek’,” Khalaf said, adding that the Mustafa allegedly slapped Dar- need the bridge loan. report is not proof that Mustafa wish after going with three human The emergency fund falls under slapped Darwish. “The problem is not rights lawyers and three activists to the IMF’s Rapid Financing Instrument with the medical report; it’s with the the Al-Mansheya Court Complex (RFI) facility, which offers rapid and prosecutor’s false accusations. This on 21 January to check on detained low-access financial assistance to IMF reflects all that is wrong with the protesters arrested after clashes member countries with urgent bal- Courtesy of Ministry of Finance Egyptian prosecution system.” that followed the trial of police ance of payments problems, without “It is our right as a nation, and as a member nation of the IMF, to receive 300% of our quota, or $4.8bn,” said Minister Khalaf stated that the verdict will officers accused of killing protest- the need for a full-fledged IMF pro- of Finance Al-Morsi Hegazy (centre) on Tuesday be appealed. ers on 25 January. He is also facing gramme. Mustafa’s brother Mohamed said charges of helping detainees escape Al-Araby said that Egypt rather member country. Each member is while a strong medium-term policy modified economic programme in Feb- his family was approached by Dar- imprisonment and inciting violence “needs broad structural measures to assigned a quota, or a contribution, programme is being put in place,” ruary, which aimed to meet conditions wish who offered to settle. “He said in Al-Mansheya. tackle its budget deficit”. based on the country’s relative size IMF spokeswoman Wafa Amr told set by the IMF for the proposed loan. that this is only a primary verdict,” He has gone on hunger strike twice Egypt could have had access to al- in the global economy. Countries con- Reuters. These included tax increases, curb- Mohamed said. “It can be reversed if in protest over his detention. most $750 million in emergency funds, tribute money to a pool through the This comes amid the IMF’s reser- ing subsidised fuel, and some other Mustafa apologises to him.” Mustafa is a well-known activist limited to 50% of the country’s quota quota system and can use this fund vations on Morsi’s pledged economic approaches. Mohamed denied any intention to in Alexandria. He was first arrested per year and 100% of its quota in total. to borrow temporarily in case of pay- reforms, with anonymous IMF sourc- Egypt’s budget deficit hit 10.9% of accept Darwish’s offer. “Mustafa has on 6 April 2008, during a demonstra- Egypt’s IMF quota stands at $1.4bn. ment imbalances. es expressed skepticism on their ef- the country’s GDP for this year. done nothing to apologise for.” tion supporting the Mahalla work- The IMF’s quota system allows “Use of the RFI could be an option fectiveness. Darwish made a similar offer im- ers’ strike. for the raising of funds for loans to if there is a need for interim financing, The Egyptian government unveiled a Continued on page 7 mediately after Mustafa’s detention, Additional reporting by Sara Abou Bakr Sudanese repre- A paralysed city: sentatives in Cairo Coptic Catholic Patriarch inaugurated By Joel Gulhane Bishop Ibrahim Isaac: ‘We pray for the president to be guided by God towards what’s best The diesel fuel crisis for our country’ Executive Chairman of the Darfur Re- gional Authority Tijani Sese and Suda- By Nouran El-Behairy is best for our country,” Isaac said in from the armed forces also attended nese minister of investment Moustafa his first speech as Patriarch. the ceremony. Ismail met with President Mohamed The Coptic Catholic Church held a He added that Muslims and Chris- Omar Salem, the minister of state Morsi on Monday to discuss bilateral mass on Tuesday to inaugurate Bish- tians in Egypt should set an example for parliamentary and legal affairs, at- relations and the reconstruction of the op Ibrahim Isaac as the new Coptic of co-existence based on equality in tended on behalf of Prime Minister Darfur region. Catholic Patriarch. rights and duties. Hesham Qandil. Sese and Ismail also met with Minister Bishop Isaac was chosen to become Representatives of Egyptian Pope Tawadros III, Patriarch of the of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Kamel Amr the sixth Coptic Catholic Patriarch on churches and Al-Azhar attended the Coptic Orthodox Church, gave a on Monday and Secretary General of the 15 January, succeeding Bishop Antoni- inauguration ceremony. Also in at- speech at the ceremony Arab League Nabil El Araby on Tuesday. ous Naguib, who gave up his post for tendance were several political fig- “Together we build a nation that According to a statement released by health-related reasons. ures, including former presidential appreciates the values of citizenship the Presidency, the Sudanese represen- President Mohamed Morsi sent a candidate Amr Moussa, former par- and love,” Abdel Moneim Abolfotoh, tatives delivered a letter to Morsi from letter to Isaac congratulating him on liamentarian Amr Hamzawy, National leader of the Misr Al-Qawia Party, Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. It his new position. Major Genral Abdel Salvation Front (NSF) leader George said on Twitter as he congratulated contained ideas for developing bilateral Moamen Fouda attended the inaugu- Isaac, former presidential candidate the new patriarch. relations, “especially in the fields of econ- ration on the president’s behalf. and Popular Current leader Hamdeen The mass was held at the Virgin omy, investment, trade and agriculture”. “We pray for the president and all Sabahy, and former deputy prime min- Mary Lady of Egypt Cathedral in Morsi expressed “his interest in open- officials to be guided by God to what ister Yehia Al-Gamal. Representatives Nasr city. ing new horizons for bilateral coopera- tion to serve the interests of the two countries”. He also informed the Suda- nese representatives of his desire to visit Interior Ministry to resort to AFP Photo / Khaled DesoukiAFP Photo Sudan “at the earliest opportunity”. Large queues formed around gas stations in Cairo, Giza and several Morsi also highlighted Egypt’s com- other governorates as microbuses, buses and trucks waited to fill their mitment to support the reconstruction gradual use of force vehicles with available diesel fuel of the conflict torn region of Darfur “and the willingness of the Egyptian The ministry’s head of the General Administration for Media and Public Relations said the Though it is not the first time a gas they have been in the past. Daily News companies in the public and private sec- or diesel shortage has plagued Cairo Egypt investigates the mounting fuel tors to contribute to the reconstruc- ministry will resort to use of force based on rules and laws and several other governorates, the problems in the country, looking at tion of the region”. He also informed recent crisis in Egypt has left the how they are affecting ordinary citi- Sese and Ismail that Egypt will attend By Hend Kortam capital city paralysed due to a major zens and what the government is do- a conference in Doha in April on the strike organised by microbus drivers. ing in response. reconstruction of Darfur. Top police officials said the police will It seems these strikes by transpor- resort to the gradual use of force in tation drivers are much larger than Feature on page 4 Continued on page 2 accordance to rules and laws.