Rashwan praises President Sisi's decision to set up committee to assess relocation of cemeteries

CAIRO - 13 June 2023: Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan lauded President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's decision to form a committee, whose task will be to assess the relocation of Sayeda Nafissa and Imam Shafei cemeteries as the government implements a development plan in the two areas.

In statements to ONTV channel on Monday, Rashwan stressed the importance of this issue, saying since it was raised by the public opinion, it has received great attention at the popular level.

This issue put forward for discussion at the national dialogue that measures the pulse of the Egyptian street, Rashwan further noted.

The matter was discussed more than once in the national dialogue, not only in sessions, but through electronic communication, he added.

There are many proposals in this regard, he stressed.

He went on to say that France has a cemetery, where 50 French soldiers who lost their lives in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, are buried.

In Belgium, there is also the Brugge General Cemetery that contains 81 Second World War burials and one Dutch war grave, he said.

President Sisi's decision was made in appreciation of the historical figures of Egypt, said Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy Monday.

The committee will be chaired by Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli and include members from all the bodies concerned, as well as expert archaeologists, Fahmy said.

They will study alternatives and make recommendations that will be announced before July, he added.

Sisi also directed that a cemetery be established to bury remnants of the great figures of Egypt, the spokesman said.

The "cemetery of the immortals" should also include a museum of artifacts found in the current cemeteries, Fahmy explained.