Cairo, April 3 (IANS) The Egyptian parliament has preliminarily approved a new law to establish a supreme council for combating terrorism, the media reported.

Citing Ahram news website, Xinhua on Tuesday reported the final vote on the 20-article law was postponed until a later meeting due to the lack of two-thirds of parliament members as required by the Egyptian constitution.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi originally ordered the creation of the Supreme Council for Combating Terrorism and Extremism after meeting with the National Defence Council following terrorist attacks last year.

The law approval came hours before official announcement of Sisi’s victory in Egypt’s 2018 presidential election.

The law, which was referred to parliament early this week, aims to mobilize all the country’s forces not only to rid the country of terrorist elements, but also to contain extremist and radical ideologies, said head of the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Bahaa Abu Shoqa.

According to the law, the council will forge a national anti-terrorism and counter-extremism strategy every five years.

The council, which will be led by the president and composed of 17 members, will coordinate with religious, security and media institutions to spread moderate religious thoughts, said the law.

The council will also amend legislation to better support the battle against terrorism, and amend educational curriculums to spread ideas of citizenship and tolerance in schools and universities.

According to the law, the council will move to set up a regional coalition of Arab countries to exchange information and boost cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Egypt has been suffering from a wave of terror attacks that have killed hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians since the army toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

The Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country’s anti-terror war. </s> Egypt: Parliament Approves Forming Supreme Council for Countering Terrorism

A general view shows members of the Egyptian parliament attending the opening session at the main headquarters of Parliament in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer

Cairo- Waleed Abdul Rahman

Egypt’s parliament preliminarily approved on Monday a draft law on establishing a Supreme Council for ‎Combating Terrorism and Extremism ‎‎(SCCTE), which is headed by the Egyptian president and includes 18 official members.



The Prime Minister, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and defense and interior ministers are expected to occupy seats in the council.



"The council will consist of the prime ‎minister, parliament speaker, grand sheikh ‎of Al-Azhar, Pope of the Coptic Church, ‎minister of defence, minister of religious endowments, ‎minister of youth and sports, minister of ‎social solidarity, minister of foreign affairs, ‎minister of interior, minister justice, minister ‎of telecommunications, minister of ‎education, and minister of higher ‎education," says the law, adding that "it ‎will also include chief of general ‎intelligence, head of the Administrative ‎Control Authority (ADA), and other public ‎figures who can contribute to SCCTE's ‎strategy."‎



Last July, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree establishing the council to develop policies aimed at “countering extremism.”



The new draft law aims at committing the state to confront terrorism in all its forms and its sources of funding according to a specific timetable, whilst protecting rights and freedoms by mobilizing social institutional capacities to reduce and counter causes of terrorism, the bill says.



Parliamentary sources said that a number of deputies demanded that the SCCTE should include civilian experts.



Sources pointed out that “the council will also aim to address the aftermath of terrorism.”



Egypt is fighting ISIS’ self-proclaimed state in Sinai which has been advocating terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula since the ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi from power in 2013.



The SCCTE also faces elements and armed movements belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt considers a terrorist organization.



Muslim Brotherhood militants have cranked up violence in the past months, targeting both civilians and police alike.



Most MPs heaped praise on the law, ‎agreeing that it will help forge a national ‎strategy necessary to help the country's ‎battle against terrorism and extremism.



MP ‎Abdel-Fattah Mohamed said "Muslim ‎Brotherhood-affiliated elements are still ‎widespread in government sectors and ‎schools, and the role of the new council is ‎to strike with an iron hand on these elements."‎



Article one of the law states that the council will forge ‎a national anti-terrorism and counter-extremism strategy ‎every five years.



“This strategy should ‎mobilize all the country's forces to combat ‎terrorism and extremism,” reads the article, ‎adding that “the SCCTE's headquarters will ‎be in Cairo.” </s> CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has called for a state of emergency for three months after two suicide bombings killed scores of Christians in two church attacks on Palm Sunday.

El-Sissi accused countries he didn’t name of fueling instability in Egypt, saying that “Egyptians have foiled plots and efforts by countries and fascist, terrorist organizations that tried to control Egypt.”

The army chief-turned-president hasn’t detailed the legal measures needed to declare the state of emergency but according to the Egyptian constitution, the parliament majority must vote in favor of the state of emergency.

Egypt declared a state of emergency in the months that followed the military ouster of the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi when his supporters staged mass demonstrations that descended into violence.

The Egyptian president declared three days of nationwide mourning following the suicide bombings.

In response to the attack, the country will form a supreme council to counter terrorism and extremism, Sisi said on state television Sunday after an emergency meeting of the country’s National Defense Council.

“We have to pay attention because of Egypt and Egypt’s future. We know this is a big sacrifice but we are capable of facing it,” he said.

“The attack will not undermine the resolve and true will of the Egyptian people to counter the forces of evil, but will only harden their determination to move forward on their trajectory to realize security, stability and comprehensive development,” the President said in a statement.

Nile and Masriya TV, Egyptian state outlets, aired black banners in the upper left of its newscasts to signify mourning for the victims of both explosions.
The Egyptian Parliament approves a draft law creating the 18-member Supreme Council for ‎Combating Terrorism and Extremism. The new body is headed by the President and is expected to also contain the Prime Minister, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the defence and interior ministers. The new body replaces the National Council to Combat Terrorism and Extremism created by Presidential decree by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in 2017.