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Egypt Cabinet to Resign by End of June - Paper

June 17, 2004 — CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's cabinet is expected to tender its resignation to President Hosni Mubarak before the end of June, the semi-official newspaper Al-Ahram reported Thursday.

On the front page of its Friday edition, which appeared on Cairo newsstands late Thursday night, al-Ahram said Mubarak will direct the new prime minister to form his new government by the end of June or in early July.

The newspaper did not name the new prime minister.

"It is expected also that many faces will change in the new government, especially those who have spent a long time in their ministerial posts," the paper said in an article written by Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Nafie.

A minor reshuffle in November 2001 involved some changes to economic portfolios. The last major reshuffle was in October 1999 when the government of former Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri resigned, making way for Prime Minister Atef Obeid.

The paper also said Mubarak would meet the new government immediately after its formation to direct it in its main duties.

A cabinet source told Reuters he had not heard about the reported forthcoming cabinet change. "It was business as usual in the cabinet today," he said.

Egyptian television showed Obeid holding meetings with officials during the main evening news.