THE TRANSITIONAL cabinet of Egypt’s new prime minister Essam Sharaf has been sworn in by Field Marshal Muhammad Hussein Tantawi, head of the supreme command of the armed forces which assumed presidential powers after the fall of Hosni Mubarak.
Dr Sharaf changed three key figures in a reshuffle demanded by the January 25th Youth Coalition, which speaks for the country’s democracy movement.
Former provincial governor Mansour Essawi was given the interior portfolio, former judge Nabil el-Arabi, foreign affairs, and Muhammad Abdel Aziz al-Gindy, justice.
Dr Essawi retained 19 ministers from the reshuffled cabinet of Ahmad Shafiq, appointed by Mr Mubarak before he was ousted.
A source in Cairo said a number of these ministers were Mubarak loyalists, demonstrating that the military “is still wielding influence”.
However, Dr Sharaf has tried to make a break with the past by announcing that the State Security Investigations (SSI) apparatus will be transferred from the interior ministry to the cabinet and placed under his supervision. The state prosecutor’s office will be given the same treatment.
Mr Essawi also signified a major shift in policy when he declared that the SSI would no longer be used for suppressing dissent but limited to “combating terrorism”.
As proof of the government’s intention to crack down on the SSI, which had free rein under the Mubarak regime, the state prosecutor has ordered the arrest of 47 officers for trying to destroy evidence of abuse and corruption.
The army has been commanded to take over and protect SSI sites.
While committed to the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, Dr Sharaf and Mr Arabi are expected to take a tougher line against Israel than Mr Mubarak and extend support to the beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza.
Egypt is also likely to redefine its relations with the US and EU, which enjoyed warm relations with Mr Mubarak.
Syria and Iran, cold-shouldered by him, could be courted by Cairo, now mindful of the regional isolation Egypt, once the leader of the Arab world, suffered under the toppled regime.
Mr Arabi is a highly respected judge who served on the team that negotiated the final stage of Israel’s withdrawal from Sinai, insisting on the return of “every last inch”.
He was on the bench of the International Court of Justice that, in 2004, ruled Israel’s West Bank wall and settlements to be illegal.
In a bid to pre-empt rivals, Arab League secretary general Amr Moussa has informally declared his candidacy for the presidency.
In a poll conducted last week, Mr Moussa, a former foreign minister enjoyed commanding leads over Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and Ayman Nour, jailed in 2005 after standing against Mr Mubarak.
Mr Moussa (74) is a charismatic figure who, in interviews pitched to Egyptians seeking economic and social justice, accused the Mubarak regime of adopting policies resulting in “overwhelming poverty for the majority and obscene wealth for the minority.”
He has been a critic of Israel and supporter of Palestinian rights.
