Cabinet discusses maintaining the basis of economic reform
Egypt, Economics, 1/6/2001

The Cabinet held a meeting Thursday under Prime Minister Atef Ebeid to discuss plans to carry out the assignments outlined by President Hosni Mubarak to the government in his statement when he had inaugurated the new parliamentary term on December 17.

Minister of Information Safwat Al Sherif said Ebeid noted that the assignments of President Mubarak would be carried out according to definite timetables to which each ministry in all sectors of the State would be committed.

Ebeid said the government's policy statement which he would deliver before the People's Assembly on January 20 would give a full picture of the government's policies in the light of President Mubarak's assignments which had covered all the political, economic and social fields.

"The government will place the needs of the masses and means of raising their standard of living among its priorities and also maintaining the basics of economic reform," he added.

On the other hand, Ebeid said that issuing the law to protect intellectual property is inspired by Egypt's full conviction of the necessity of providing intellectual protection for the Egyptian product, before the foreign product. "It also creates an atmosphere to stabilize dealings on world markets in this sphere. The law does not represent any interference in the affairs of ministries or their shouldering their constitutional responsibility," said Sherif.

The Minister of Information added that the Cabinet had made an extensive discussion of work papers presented by the Ministries of Industry, Health, Information and Military Production on the draft law to protect intellectual property and the points of view of each ministry on articles of the draft law which was approved by the Cabinet in its final form before referring it to the People's Assembly.

Sherif pointed out that the Cabinet had approved a bill to preserve national documents in order to collect and preserve all documents issued by public figures and individuals and to define which documents are to be preserved.

In the same vein, Sherif said that the draft law specifies the documents within the framework of international rules and also the authorities of the Public Library and National Documents as regards the collection and preservation to ensure that documents are kept by one authority only.

The draft law calls upon authorities which issue or receive official State documents to define the degree of secrecy of these documents and say whether they come under the title "Top Secret" as regards documents which cannot be made available except after 50 years of their issue or receipt and also "Top Secret" for documents which may not be made available except after 30 years of their issue or receipt.

The authority in charge of the document may change the degree of secrecy after giving the proper notification to the Public Library. Authorities holding documents which come under this law should notify the Public Library within one year of the enforcement of this law. Documents, in the possession of individuals, may be added after paying a fair compensation to their owners.

Sherif said that the draft law stipulates that documents covered by it and which are possessed by any authority, the legal character of which expires, are handed over to the Documents Library and also documents in the possession of a committee which was charged with preparing a register of the July 23, 1952 Revolution.

"The draft law provides deterrent punishments after it transpired that there were increasing attempts to steal and smuggle documents in view of their material and historic value which tempt some individuals steal or smuggle them," Sherif added.

The policy statement to be delivered by the Premier before a People's Assembly session on January 21 includes the government's commitment to achieve 131 accomplishments in the new year in service of the citizens. The statement also includes means of stepping up economic development process.

Previous Stories:
  Siwa, Oasis of one million palm trees   (1/4/2001)
  European Investment Bank to finance infrastructure projects   (1/4/2001)
  Economic group discuss Egypt - Iraq free trade area   (1/3/2001)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search