Moussa continues discussions on draft charter

Chairman of the 50-member constitution panel Amr Moussa held a meeting on Monday with five members of the Coptic advisory council. The meeting came within a series of meetings held by Moussa with various bodies in order to reach a consensus on a number of controversial articles in the charter's draft, including Articles 2 and 219. Articles 2 and 219, which explicitly mention Islamic Sharia law, have served as major sources of controversy since the constitution-drafting process started. Article 219 was originally cancelled by the group of ten experts. Bishop Paula, representative of the Coptic Church, threatened to withdraw from the committee if Article 219, which interprets the phrase "principles of Islamic Sharia" be made part of the constitution's preamble.