House of Representatives Speaker Hanafi el Gebali asserted that Suez Canal is a public property that can never be relinquished, reiterating that the draft law presented by the government to amend some articles of Law no. 30 for the Year 1975 on the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) system does not include any articles on the Suez Canal as it is a public state property that can never be relinquished or offered for sale.
Addressing a parliament public session on Tuesday, Gebali said he has been following up news circulated at the various media outlets or social media on amending some articles of Law no. 30 of 1975 on the Suez Canal Authority system, which aims at establishing a fund belonging to the authority and increasing its capabilities to contribute to achieving sustainable economic development.
Gebali added that it is a necessity to explain the matter to respond to what he called “legitimate fears” by some citizens regarding the Suez Canal issue which he viewed as “claims and fabrication” by some people who has remarkable scientific, cultural or legal positions at the society. He said the parliament has initially approved on Monday a draft law on amending some articles of Law no. 30 of 1975 on the Suez Canal Authority system and it is still not a final approval.
He asserted that such amendments do not include any articles on the Suez Canal, which is a State’s public fund that can never be relinquished or sold, adding that Article 43 of the Egyptian constitution stipulated the State’s protection, development and maintenance of the international waterway possessed by the State in view of its economic benefits.
Gebali also noted that the draft law is pertaining to the rights of the Suez Canal Authority’s special fund that will be established to ease investment, finance and development of its affiliated projects, adding that the word “assets” does not indicate in anyway the canal itself.
Addressing the Egyptians, Gabli reiterated that the parliament, which was chosen by the people’s confidence, will never be dragged to issuing any laws that infringe the constitution’s articles which are a reflection of the state’s conscience and maintain the interests of the citizen and the nation.
Source: State Information Service Egypt