Bassam al-Zarqa, the Nour Party representative in the Constitutional Committee of 50, withdrew from the committee’s meeting on Monday discussing the basic components of the Constitution and left the Shura Council building. He did not take any calls from the press.
Leftist committee member Hussein Abdel Razek said Zarqa left protesting the omission of his remarks and suggestions from the committee's report. “When he [Zarqa] was told that only his remarks and not his suggestions were omitted, he said his remarks were indeed suggestions,” Razek said.
Sources said Zarqa wanted the committee to keep his suggestions so they could be voted on for inclusion in the Constitution.
When committee member Khaled Yousef tried to explain to Zarqa that it was a "trivial matter," Zarqa told him the committee takes into account all trivial matters.
Committee spokesperson Mohamed Salmawy said Zarqa left because of the dispute over Articles 2 and 219.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
