The Cairo International Book Fair will open on 22 January and end on 7 February, the Egyptian Publishers Association (EPA) announced Tuesday.
In a statement, Mohamed Rashad, who heads the association, said Culture Minister Shaker Abdel Hamid and Ahmed Megahed — head of the General Egyptian Book Organization, which organizes the fair — met with the EPA's board.
Abdel Hamid said he approved of the proposal for the fair to start in January.
The renowned Cairo International Book Fair is the largest and the oldest in the Middle East, and the second biggest book fair after Germany's Frankfurt Book Fair.
Last year, the fair was canceled due to the eruption of the 18-day uprising against former President Hosni Mubarak last January. Official records say the fair attracts about 2 million visitors annually.
More than 600 publishers from 29 countries were supposed to participate in last year's fair, which was canceled because of the uprising.
On Thursday, the EPA rejected the Interior Ministry's proposal to postpone the fair. It called on the ruling military council and cabinet to protect the fair and allow it to be held as scheduled.
It said that postponing or canceling the fair would harm Egypt's reputation and deepen the sense of insecurity.
The country would also lose thousands of Arab visitors who paid rent to participate in the fair and have already sent their books to Egypt, the association added.
In a statement Tuesday, Mohamed Abdel Latif, head of the Arab Publishers Association, said the fair should not be postponed.
However, he supported the EPA proposal to close the fair 25 January, the anniversary of Egypt's uprising last winter, so that the Interior Ministry can take precautions during celebrations.
