Egypt\'s newly-appointed prime minister, Hisham Qandeel Egypt\'s newly-appointed prime minister, Hisham Qandeel on Wednesday announced that his cabinet will see the foundation of a new ministry for water supplies and sanitation, which formerly came under the auspices of the ministry of housing.
Qandeel said in a press statement, that the formation of this ministry aims to find a solution to the water pollution in Egypt, and will instigate projects for water recycling which could grant Egypt 14 billion m3 of water annually.
The new prime minister gave no details about the timeline for announcing the final formation of the new cabinet, but commented that Egypt \"is full of competent people and would work towards responding to the needs of the Egyptian people.\"
He also denied news circulating about the appointment of Khairat al-Shater, the deputy supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, as deputy prime minister or as a minister of the administrative development. \"This is untrue. I don’t know who spread this news or who is the source. No one talked to me about this,\" he said.
Qandeel said the new cabinet’s priorities are to face the challenges of security and achieve the revolution’s goals.
\"We also seek to achieve the 100-day programme of President Mohammed Morsi,\" he added.
The former minister of irrigation revealed that the new defence minister will be nominated by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
\"The military council will nominate the new defence minister. If [Field Marshal Hussein] Tantawi is nominated, he will be appointed. But SCAF will have nothing to do with choosing the interior minister,\" Qandeel confirmed. Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has been defence minister since 1991.
Qandeel denied rumours suggesting his affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood, saying that all the patriotic powers have to be united behind the goal of achieving a comprehensive renaissance in Egypt, regardless of any political or ideological differences.
The Egyptian presidency spokesperson, Yasser Ali said in a press release that the formation of Egypt\'s new government is likely to be decided by the middle of next week.
Ali responded to critics who  questioned whether the little-known technocrat, Hisham Qandeel had the political or economic experience required for his new post.
\"The prime minister can\'t be specialist in everything. Some wanted a politician and others wanted an economist, but the president chose an independent figure who can lead a team\" he said.
\"I can confirm that the government will include some prominent political and economic figures, and the presidency institution will also include advisers from all specialties\" he added.
The meeting was held on Wednesday between President Morsi and Field Marshal Tantawi to discuss the latest developments in Egypt.