The issues of social justice, citizenship, employment, upgrading services, investment and national security are the main topics which top the agenda of the 9th congress of the National Democratic Party (NDP) which will be held in Cairo on November 3.

Gamal Mubarak, the Assistant NDP Secretary-General and the Policies Secretary said a new approach has been adopted for drafting policies based on clear-cut guidelines, reactivating the party formations, NGOs and crystallizing policies before putting them into effect.

Gamal Mubarak Wednesday 24/10/2007 presided over the meeting of the Higher Policies Council in presence of Safwat Al-Sherif the NDP Secretary-General, Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif, the NDP bureau secretaries and the members of the specialized committees.

The meeting was devoted for discussing the papers drafted by the policies secretariat which cover the topics listed on the NDP congress agenda.

Gamal Mubarak said the main four axes of the NDP congress aim at upgrading services, combating poverty, empowering marginalized categories and raising their living standards through timetables.

He said the party and the government are committed to improve the conditions of the limited-income brackets, to distribute development revenues and to combat poverty.

He said this concept extends to the sector of housing.

In this regard, he referred to a plan aiming at building 500,000 housing units for youth and establishing 400 new villages in the desert backyard together with developing utilities of drinking water, sanitary drainage and developing slums.

He said the congress will review efforts for reforming and developing agricultural sector, developing the role of agricultural cooperatives and rehabilitating the Agricultural Development and Credit Bank.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif said that the government was fully coordinating with the NDP to carefully and precisely implement President Hosni Mubarak's electoral platform.

During a meeting of the NDP's Higher Council for Policies under Gamal Mubarak, the assistant (NDP) Secretary General, Nazif said the party was preparing the policies while the government was responsible for carrying out the programme according to a timetable, with the party realizing tangible successes in the second year of implementing President Mubarak's platform.

He said the NDP and government held intensive meetings over a year to discuss the policy papers in light of the political, economic and social evolution in the region.

Nazif reviewed the achievements made especially in the economic domains, pointing out that these policies yielded more than the expected.

On his part, Safwat El-Sherif, the NDP Secretary-General, said the ninth conference acquires special importance because it will focus on assessing the NDP performance especially in the political domains.

Safwat Al-Sherif the NDP Secretary General further said the social dimension represents the core and crux of the NDP congress.

He said the congress will witness an appraisal of the government performance and its commitment to carry out the presidential electoral platform.

Addressing the meeting, Sherif said the NDP congress agenda starts with preparatory meetings which will be held on Friday, November 2 before launching the official proceedings on the following day for four days.

He said the NDP congress will discuss how to upgrade competitiveness of the sector of agriculture, to improve farmers living standard, to develop agricultural cooperatives, to rehabilitate agricultural development and credit bank, to develop agricultural extension policies and to develop water resources.

He said the party will discuss a wide array of policies which aim at developing health insurance system, treatment at the state expense, railways, and enhancing national security in the light of the international variables.

He said the congress will discuss ways of supporting the Palestinian cause, tackling disintegration in Iraq, maintaining stability of Sudan, and developing Egypt's relations with the Nile Basin states and world countries.

25/10/2007