Egypt Today

[Thomas R. Jones]

 

[Thomas R. Jones]

Egypt confirms Korea-Egypt trade deal is in the making

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An Egyptian press secretary has confirmed that a historic trade agreement with Korea is currently being discussed.

At a press conference just now, the spokesman refused to give specifics on the agreement, but stated that it would mark 'a new era' for 'our two great nations'.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has refused to comment, and directed us to the press conference.

It is widely believed that this agreement will lower tariffs, start trade routes between both of our countries, and strengthen our economy in those sectors. The spokesman said that Egypt would give 'resources that we have a lot of', and did not comment further. Speculation is now growing over a summit to finalise the details.

 

[Thomas R. Jones]

President unveils new plan against Turkey
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At a press conference twenty minutes ago, President Tantawi unveiled his Presidential Regulation, in response to the shooting down of a passenger plane by Turkey.

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"People of Egypt, you have all heard about the shooting down of a passenger plane by Turkey. I am sure that I speak for all of you when I say that we condemn this action. Indeed, we also condemn Turkey for even considering such a horrendous act. This is why I will now put to you our plan against Turkey, in case they get any more ideas..."

Presidential Regulation on Action against the Republic of Turkey

Article 1​

1. An aircraft will be banned from entering Egyptian airspace if:

1a. It has entered Turkish airspace in the last 5 months.​

1b. It is owned (or has been owned in the last 5 months) by a company that has had aircraft enter Turkish airspace in the last 5 months.​

1c. It is owned by a company that schedules flights to the Republic of Turkey, and such a scheduled flight had been completed in the last 5 months.​

2. A vessel will be banned from entering Egyptian waters and using the Suez Canal if:

2a. It has entered Turkish waters in the last 5 months.​

2b. It is owned (or has been owned in the last 5 months) by a company that has had vessels enter Turkish waters in the last 5 months.​

Article 2
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1. The President, Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Defence will be granted the following powers:

1a. Able to declare a state of emergency applying to all territories under the jurisdiction of the Arab Republic of Egypt.​

1b. Able to declare a state of conscription, whereby all males from the ages of eighteen (18) to thirty (30) must serve in either the Armed Forces or Central Security Forces for a period of 12 months.​

1c. Able to issue regulations, the provisions of which expire in 6 months from date of issue, unless renewed by another regulation.​

2. The President, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence may convene the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and issue orders applying to all members of the Armed Forces.
3. The President may move the Central Security Forces to the Ministry of Defence.
4. The People's Assembly may amend the Constitution within the context of the present situation.
5. The President, Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Defence may grant any of the above powers to other persons, as long as the said power may be used by the person granting it.

Article 3
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1. The Armed Forces must be on a state of high readiness within 9 months, with the capacity and capability to repel any invasion against the Arab Republic of Egypt.
2. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will be able to use up to 75% of the GDP of Egypt for the military.

2a. Any more must be approved by the People's Assembly.​

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The above provisions are to be given the force of law, as a Presidential Regulation.

"I hope that this will ensure that the Republic of Turkey thinks twice, before committing a heinous act right next to Egypt. Thank you."

The President left without taking any more questions.

 

[Thomas R. Jones]

President announces more changes as Suez shutdown is proposed

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President Tantawi appeared on state media today, wearing the uniform of the Field Marshal of the Armed Forces. He announced more changes, both domestic and international, to Egypt.

"People of Egypt, this shall be my last appearance before I set off for Warsaw. As you may know, I have decided to go to the peace deal personally. I want only the best for Egypt, and I will not come back empty-handed. Turkey shall never again interfere in actions happening hundreds of miles away. The people of Egypt will never allow it!"

"I shall therefore implement new changes. It has only been some time since I issued my Presidential Regulation. I will add upon that, here, live, to the world and for the world."

"Firstly, only people with Egyptian citizenship may live in Egypt for more than 3 days."

"Secondly, Egyptian citizens with the citizenship of Turkey have until the end of May to renounce their Turkish citizenship. After that, those with Egyptian and Turkish citizenships will have their Egyptian citizenship removed and they shall be arrested, with a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison."

"Thirdly, all Turkish flags are to be destroyed. Anybody found with an Turkish flag after today will be arrested."

"Fourthly, I shall propose a law, shutting down the Suez Canal. We are currently discussing a trade agreement with Vietnam and ASEAN, so I believe that ships going to or from ASEAN members will be exempt. Unless, of course, they have been found to breach the Presidential Regulation I issued some time ago."

The President refused to answer questions- most of which were about the Suez Canal- but stated that the People's Assembly would be in session in a few hours.

 

[Thomas R. Jones]

People's Assembly called into session to discuss new Suez Canal Act

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The People's Assembly has begun an extraordinary meeting to discuss the government's Suez Canal Act. The act can be summed up into one point.

Only Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian and Korean ships can use the Canal. Everybody else can use the long route.

The act has already received some criticism- the first politician to speak, Saad Al Katatny, said the bill was 'doomed to fail', and would 'disrupt the entire world economy just because of the Middle East'.

However, some support has also been given. Hanafy Ali El Gebali has declared 'The bill [...] will teach a lesson to Turkey. It is now up to them to remember it."

Some restrictions may be eased for certain countries though. The government's main spokesman in the Assembly, Justice Minister Safwat El-Sherif, has stated that the government was prepared to 'take negotiations, to lower the restrictions for their nations. It must be remembered that this bill is against Turkey, not the world."

 

[Thomas R. Jones]

Amendments to the Suez Canal Act

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The government has announced that new, surprising amendments to the bill will be implemented.

It will now go from "Only ASEAN ships can use the Canal" to "The government has the power to shut down the Canal for individual nations".

This comes after sources close to the Government say that the government wants to have that leverage over nations. It is believed that, with these new amendments, the bill will pass. Saad Al Katatny, who had previously opposed the bill, now supports it, and calls on his fellow politicians to do the same.

 

[Thomas R. Jones]

Suez Canal Act passes

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The Suez Canal act has now passed, with a vote of 304-292. A close one, but the act is passed.

To summarise, the act will give the government the power to close down the Canal (without legislation), the power to have any ship searched whilst in the Canal, and the power to deploy military forces in the Canal (for up to 12 months).

There is yet to be comment by the Government, but they must be very pleased with themselves.

 

[Thomas R. Jones]

Press Statement on Suez Canal
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The Government has issued a statement to the world, on their new powers in the Suez Canal.

Press Statement on the Suez Canal Act
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The Government of Egypt recently was given powers to close down the Canal, search and impound ships through the Canal, and deploy the military in the Canal.

These powers are to ensure Egypt's security and sovereignty is respected. Particularly against Turkey. These powers are directed against Turkey and her allies and traders, not the entire world. The Act shall be used against individual nations, who have been found to breach the Presidential Regulation on Action against Turkey. We shall give some time beforehand to announce the closure to the world, so that ships have time to act accordingly.

Furthermore, if a ship that has broken the Regulation continues to go through the Canal, we should be able to impound said ships to ensure that they are not smuggling equipment and supplies to Turkey. This is a measure that we feel should be effective against Turkey.

The military shall only be deployed if it is an emergency- an invasion of Egypt, a natural disaster, a crisis in the Canal, and so on. If we close the Canal, we shall send the military to enforce the closure.

This statement should clear up any doubts or concerns that you may have. If nations have queries or concerns, you may direct them to the Prime Minister.

 

[Thomas R. Jones]

Egyptian Chief of General Staff given decorations by Vice President

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Vice President Hosni Mubarak has granted the Chief of the General Staff, Magdy Hatata, the decorations of Knight of the Order of the Nile, Knight of the Order of Merit, the Mobilisation Medal and the Military Medal of the Republic.

In a speech at the Ministry of Defence, Mubarak praised the officer for his 'diligent work', 'faithful service to the Republic', and 'an unwavering commitment to the nation'.