EGYPT: Government forms committee to propose constitutional changes
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Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman announced Tuesday that two committees have been formed to begin work on long-sought political changes and assured protesters that they were free to speak their minds.
Suleiman provided few specifics about the government’s road map for change in a statement aired on state television, and his announcement is unlikely to appease protesters who are calling for the immediate resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.
He said one committee would propose constitutional amendments and another would monitor implementation of all the changes. Both committees will begin their work immediately, he said.
A third committee, he said, will investigate violent clashes last week between Mubarak’s supporters and anti-government demonstrators.
‘The president emphasized that the youth of Egypt deserve the appreciation of their country,’ Suleiman said. ‘And he issued his instructions that prevent their pursuit or restrictions on them or denial of their freedom of opinion and expression.’
The announcement came on the 15th day of large anti-government protests. Long lines formed into the afternoon along the Qasr el Nil Bridge as protesters waited to clear military checkpoints on their way to Tahrir Square. The square itself, which maintained a festive atmosphere, was packed making it difficult to move from one side to the other.
-- Raja Abdulrahim, Bob Drogin and Timothy M. Phelps in Cairo.
