No changes to Egypt's new constitutional declaration

CAIRO?- Egyptian president spokesman Yasser Ali announced Monday that no changes were made to the new constitutional declaration and "sovereignty matters" are the only field free of legal reviews, after President Mohamed Morsi met with judges over the controversial new constitutional declaration.

"The president held a meeting with members of the Supreme Judicial Council, and no change was made to the declaration," Ali said, asserting that the declaration was temporary rather than permanent.

"No new investigation will be taken to the trials on the martyears and injured people in the revolution unless there are new evidences," Ali noted, saying that only matters related to sovereignty are protected from legal reviews.

Egypt had seen a national wide protest against the brotherhood and its president who issued a new constitutional declaration on Thursday, granting him the absolute power inside Egypt.

According to the new constitutional declaration, all laws, decrees and constitutional declarations issued by the president since coming to office on June 30, 2012, are final and unchallengeable by any body.

As to the Constitutional Assembly, the declaration noted that the new draft constitution will be formed within a maximum period of eight months, instead of six, from the date of assembly's formation, which means the new declaration extended the period of drafting for another two months, until February 2013.

No judicial body is entitled to dissolve the Shura Council (upper house) or the Constituent Assembly, the declaration stated.