Safwat el-Sherif, Speaker of the Shura Council, highlighted Wednesday7/3/2007 that the two reports by the People's Assembly and the Shura Council were, in principle identical, in terms of the line of thinking regarding the aspired constitutional amendments.

During a meeting of the council's General Committee, Sherif said that "The purpose of the meeting was to present the optimal method for discussing the proposed amendments at the Shura Council, by way of entrenching a set of principles and rules the council should abide by in this respect, especially in view of the large number of amendments involved an unprecedented case in the council.

Sherif added it has been decided to circulate a report by the council's constitutional and legislative affairs committee on the proposed amendments before they are discussed and voted on next week.

The meeting of the general committee was attended by Mufeed Shehab, Minister of State for Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils, Mohammed Morsi, Deputy Speaker, the chairpersons of the specialized committees, representatives of political parties, public figures and Counsellor Farag el-Dorri, the council's Secretary General.

El-Sherif said that the projected constitutional amendments would be for all the Egyptians alike and not for any certain parties or categories of the society.

They would be compatible with Egypt's conditions, he said. Addressing members of the Council's Constitutions and Legislative Committee on Wednesday, El-Sheirf urged them to let the national conscience be their guide while reviewing the amendments.

"There is no rush to endorse the amendments," said El-Sherif, adding that the council mulled such amendments, which were proposed for discussion 18 months ago.

More than 100 councilmen talked in this regard, said El-Sherif, adding that a report was referred to the People's Assembly ahead of preparing the final draft of the constitutional amendments bill.

The Shura Council's report came out with important proposals that received the consent of the People's Assembly's Constitutional and Legislative Committee, El-Sherif added, pointing out that such matter demonstrated that the Shura council's deliberations are successful.

On Tuesday, People's Assembly Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour referred the final draft of the constitutional amendments bill to the Shura Council after its initial endorsement by the Assembly's Constitutional and Legislative Committee.