Egypt's parliament convenes despite dissolution

Cairo, 10 Jul - (ANA) - Egypt's parliament has briefly convened, despite the ruling military council ordering it to be dissolved. The country's new President, Mohammed Mursi, had ordered the assembly to meet in defiance of the ruling.

Earlier, the council said the decision to dissolve parliament must be upheld. The military closed parliament last month after a supreme court ruling.

Its latest intervention is seen by some as a challenge and warning to Mr Mursi, who was sworn in only a week ago. It could be the first confrontation between the military and the president since Mr Mursi's election. Speaker Saad al-Katatni said that by holding the assembly, MPs were not contradicting the dissolution ruling "but looking at a mechanism for the implementation of the ruling of the respected court. There is no other agenda today". The MPs approved Mr Katatni's proposal that the parliament seek legal advice from a high appeals court on how to implement the supreme court's ruling. He then adjourned the session. (ANA)

FA/ANA/10 July 2012------------