Brothers and Sons, Members of the 9th General Congress of NDP,
Dear Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am glad to talk to you at the outset of 9th General Congress of NDP, and to express my appreciation to you and members of the party for your decision to re-elect my as chairman of NDP. This resolution reflects a trust that I do cherish, take pride in and highly appreciate.

For long years, I have taken up the responsibility for leading this party. Together, we have made a long way through party and national action; together we have passed through successive phases of the progress of the party and homeland, and have shared several ambitions and tough challenges.

This party has made successive contributions to our partisan and political life; has provocatively addressed our society's priorities and concerns; has always been responsive to its hopes , and aspirations and has unceasingly shown diligence in serving the cases of Egypt and its people.

Hand in hand, we firmly established a new line of thought and a new vision of the homeland's and citizen's future. Two years ago, we engaged, in close ranks, the presidential and legislation elections with a platform based on this line of thought and vision, and we do pursue it with determination and confidence.

Yes indeed. We, members, cadres and leaderships, have gone a long way together and still have much to go ahead. I am fully confident that we are able to achieve our goals, address challenges, hopes and ambitious.

We are embarking on the deliberations of the General Congress with unshaken faith in the party is principles, thought, vision, policies and programmers. We inaugurate our 9th General Congress with unshaken confidence that, as the majority party, we are able to lead partisan and political life as well as the homeland.

Yes, indeed, I tell you with full convince and certainty, that we, in the party, are capable and determined to do it.

The party has taken up this role and responsibility with honor and sincerity; has led national action across difficult phases and several challenges both at home and abroad.

In so doing, we have proceeded with full conviction of Egypt and its people and of the right of the country and its citizens to a better present and future.

I tell you today that the NDP will continue to take up this role and responsibility. The party will forge its way forward with you all; members, cadres, leaderships, young men and young women; invoking our principles from the values of this soil and our vision from our citizens' ambitions, never flinching in the face of difficulties, challenges, and diligently serving the homeland.

Brothers and Sons,

You may recall my talk to you at the conclusion of our 8th General Congress, wherein I stressed that the party has ahead a new phase of hard work. I called for sustained development of the party as an ongoing, unceasing and unflinching process. I called upon the party to promptly to put forward all political, economic and social issues of concern to the country, citizens and to address all priorities related to reform, upgrading , modernization and development.

I stressed the importance of serious and effective participation to expand the base on which the party selects its cadres, leaderships and the parallel importance of pushing forward young people to take up responsibility. Five years ago, I called for supporting communication between the party and its base across the country and for enhancing its involvement in citizens' worries, concerns, problems and aspirations.

Since the 8th General Congress, Egypt has witnessed huge transformations, and the so has the party seen similar transformations, represented in enhancement of its organizational and institutional structures and a fresh momentum in its thought, philosophy and policies as well as more vital interaction with its parliamentary body, government and local –level cadres.

However, the question remains; are the achievements made sufficient; are they up to the level of our aspirations as a majority party?

We start this General Congress following the conclusion of the elections involving the party's leaderships, cadres and all levels. While paying tribute to this new and pioneering experiment in partisan action in Egypt, I do call upon you to examine its results and to assess whether these results, as far as youth and women are concerned, rise up to the level of our expectations and to that I demanded at the close of our 8th General Congress five years ago.

I tell you quite frankly and honestly that this Congress has to come up with an objective assessment of the party's performance since our 8th General Congress; a clear-cut and explicit assessment that exposes, to us all, successes and failures.

True, we have been following up the party's performance and development efforts through our past annual Congress, However, this 9th General Congress ruses as an opportune occasion for a more comprehensive assessment that makes clear areas where we have succeeded; where we failed and where we have to set right our course.

Brothers and Sons,

Apart from this required objective assessment, this General Congress will address an ambitious agenda and highly significant issues. I have been following up the huge efforts made towards the preparations for this Congress and the studies, discussions papers and policies developed within a sustained democratic dialogue and serious and constructive debates on the country's issues.

This important Congress will address four basic themes closely related to Egypt's present and future, reflecting citizen's concerns in a changing Egyptian reality and a variable regional and international milieu.

You will address the employment and investment issue in its relation to the maintenance of the high rates of growth already achieved and our efforts to provide more job opportunities for our young men and young women.

Several international reports have commended the daring economic reform steps taken by Egypt and the improvement in the investment-attractive climate. Shall we be complacent with the achievements made?

How to reinforce such steps with new ones? What is the means to attract more Egyptian, Arab and foreign investments? How to expand the investment-attractive infrastructure?

How to ensure fair distribution of infrastructure investments and projects over our governorates? These are several questions, some of which reflect our concerns within the party and within the broader and more comprehensive framework of Egypt's progress towards a better future.

In its second theme, this Congress addresses the issue of services and social justice, with its direct reflections on citizens in general and on the vulnerable categories in particular.

Our goal remains to enhance services rendered to citizens in their day-to-day lives, such as education, healthcare, housing, utilities, communications, etc.

Our priorities remain to provide social protection to poor and limited-income brackets, to relieve the impact of economic reform on them at the current transitional period; to search out more effectively and speedily to the neediest; to assist them, not to let them down and to ensure fair distribution of reform and development and my citizens and the inner and upper Egypt governorates.

The third theme addresses the issue of Egypt's national security with its strategic, political and economic dimensions as well as many other highly important subsidiary issues.

Egypt's national security is the protective shield of the homeland's territory and sovereignty in a tough region surging with crises. It involves defense of our independent national will in the face of pressures and conditionality. It also involves water security, in its relationship with the stability of the Horn of Africa and the African Great Lakes area. So does it involve energy security and the guarantee of its supplies and diversification of its sources, including our programme for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Egypt's national security is part and parcel of the security of the Gulf, the Red sea, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. In all its dimensions and themes, it is an utmost priority and a red line that I will never allow anyone to trespass.

In the fourth theme, you will discuss the issue of citizenship and democracy in its relationship with the political reform steps taken and the development of our constitutional and legislation framework and our aspired- for goals.

Last year's constitutional reforms adopted the concept of citizenship as a basis of partisan and political work and of equality in rights and duties among citizens.

Our democratic experience will remain contingent on our ability to respect and reinforce citizenship values, without my distinction or discrimination and an accurate balance between individual and society's right, peace and stability.

Similarly, democratic reform will remain contingent on the reinforcement of participation in our partisan and political life and the enhancement of the culture, values and principles of democracy, through awareness, sound purpose, enlightened thought, true allegiance to the homeland and the people.

Brothers and Sons

Yes, indeed. You have ahead a busy agenda for this important Congress. I look forward to a serious discussion of the issues of Egypt and Egyptians to be put forth in the Congress, in their relationship to our domestic, regional and international issues.

I wish you a successful and fruitful Congress that gives a fresh push to our efforts to further develop the party; giving an example to other parties and helping enhance partisan and political life in Egypt.

I trust that this Congress will be a significant addition to the party, boosting communication between cadres and bases and reinforcing its standing as the majority party. We all share the responsibility for forgoing our way all through and to continue our leadership of our partisan and political life and the progress of the homeland.

This is our role and that is our responsibility. I tell you with full resolve and determination that will never give up this role, will never rescind that responsibility and will never let down the trust of the people.

I wish you all success.

May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon you.