President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced during the 30th Cultural Symposium of the Armed Forces on Sunday that he has nominated head of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority Kamel al-Wazir as the next minister of transport.
“I give the railway utility one of the best military officers,” Sisi said, adding that Wazir approved the appointment by saying, “I’m at the disposal of the President of Egypt at any time.”
Egypt’s House of Representatives approved, during a General Session on Sunday appointing Wazir as a Transport Minister to succeed resigning minister Hisham Arafat.
The Speaker of the Parliament Ali Abdel Aal attended to the House of Representatives on Sunday after participating in the 30th Cultural Symposium of the Armed Forces.
The General Session of the parliament reviewed the letter of President Sisi regarding the appointment of Wazir to the ministerial post, and approved it.
The President was confident that the citizens of Egypt will see modern utility in the railways by June 30th, 2020, and asked the army, police and other state authorities to help Wazir in modernizing Egypt’s railways.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly accepted the resignation of Transport Minister Hisham Arafat, according to a Cabinet statement, following a train crash at Cairo’s Ramses Station on Wednesday which left over 20 people dead and 40 injured.
The locomotive collided with the pavement at the end of the line at high speed, causing its fuel tank to explode and triggering a massive fire, officials said.
Six railway workers have been arrested in response to the incident, charged with counts of negligence and manslaughter.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
