Egyptian Justice Minister expects compromise to judicial row

Egyptian Minister of Justice Ahmad Mekki hinted here Sunday there could be soon a way out of the row over a recent constitutional amendment. The solution includes an explanatory memo or amendment that interprets the immunization of presidential decrees is related to only sovereign matters, the minister said to Egypt's official news agency MENA. Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi had recently issued a controversial constitutional amendment, giving the president near-absolute power and immunity from appeals in courts for any decisions or laws he declares until a new constitution and parliament is in place. He elaborated that the president, through his recent decrees, only wanted to immunize constitutional state bodies, something which is a bone of agreement with judges. The justice minister affirmed that the "immunity" would not include pure administrative affairs. However, he ruled out that the constitutional amendment could be put up for public referendum.