People's Assembly Speaker Dr. Ahmed Fathi Sorour on Thursday rejected allocating a certain quota or percentage of seats for Copts in the parliament as this would feed the prejudiced notion that they represented a minority.

Copts are an intrinsic part of the Egyptian social fabric, he said during the fourth hearing session held on Thursday by the constitutional and legislative committee under his chairmanship to discuss the constitutional amendments proposed recently by President Hosni Mubarak.

Muslims and Copts in Egypt are treated on equal footing, Sorour stressed, adding that the issue of faith was in no way a factor in deciding one's worth. Allocation a percentage for Copts would be both depreciating and insulting, he said.

On allocating parliamentary seats for women, Sorour expressed commitment to the political empowerment of women, saying that women should be allowed to participate in political decision- making same as men.

The amendments suggested by President Mubarak are part of the election promises he made last year to promote civil liberties and continue comprehensive reforms which aimed at bettering living conditions in the country.