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Monday 7 February 2011

Report: Egypt's new Cabinet to meet for first time as protests persist

By the CNN Wire Staff
February 7, 2011 11:03 a.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Curfew time is shortened, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
  • NEW: Egypt's stock market will reopen Sunday, representative says
  • Egypt's new Cabinet will have its first meeting Monday, state media says
  • Finance minister: Egypt will auction up to 15 billion pounds in treasury bills

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- As protesters maintained a human chain at Cairo's Tahrir Square on Monday, many insisting they won't budge until President Hosni Mubarak steps down, the country's new Cabinet planned to have its first meeting, according to state-run TV.

The government also shortened the official curfew time, making it from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. -- substantially shorter than it was last week, when the curfew began in midafternoon. In the two weeks of protests, the curfew has not kept crowds from staying in Tahrir Square through the night.

Signs of life returning to normal were spreading Monday, particularly with the reopening of more shops and banks. The Egyptian finance minister said the country will auction as much as 15 billion Egyptian pounds (about $2.5 billion) in treasury bills. A stock market representative said the market will reopen Sunday.

When asked why the country will hold the "imminent" auction during unrest, Radwan said he believes there is an international appetite for the bills because their monetary fundamentals are still strong.

The Central Bank of Egypt typically issues treasury bills every week, but has not done so since January 25 -- the day anti-government protests began. The way international investors react to these bills could indicate how international investors gauge the situation in Egypt and whether investor confidence is actually returning.

A Google executive who had been missing since January 28 is expected to be relased Monday, his family said. State-run Nile TV also reported Sunday that Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said Wael Ghonim has been located and would be released Monday. No details were given of Ghonim's whereabouts or condition.

The 14th day of protests comes after Egypt's vice president, Omar Suleiman, met with representatives of key opposition groups Sunday and offered concessions -- including some that, if enacted, could bring dramatic change to the country.

Among the ideas agreed to by the two sides at the meeting, according to a report on state-run television, was a future end to the military emergency law that has been in place since President Hosni Mubarak came to power in 1981.

Prior to the protests, London-based Amnesty International accused Egyptian authorities of silencing critics in the runup to parliamentary elections last November and said Egyptians have faced arrest, detention, criminal charges and the threat of detention without charge or trial under the emergency law.

The two sides also discussed steps to ensure free media and communication, and plans to form a series of committees that would oversee changes aimed at bringing about a representative government.

The opposition leaders who met with Suleiman do not represent all the demonstrators who have held mass protests over the past two weeks. One of the groups represented in the meeting was the Muslim Brotherhood -- a group that, days ago, had said it would not negotiate until Mubarak left office. Members of the liberal parties Wafd and Ahrarhave also engaged in talks with the newly appointed Suleiman.

After the meeting, Suleiman sat down with six young people who, according to state-run TV, were representing the "January 25" movement, named after the date the protests began.

But in Tahrir Square, some protesters slammed the idea that anyone representing them would meet with Suleiman. "This is an insult to people like us, activists. Who are they to speak on behalf of the revolution?" asked Gigi Ibrahim.

"I did not hear of any January 25 group when the revolution started," said protester Wael Abbas. "Only now I am hearing these rumors. But I don't know who they are because they definitely do not represent us."

A number of protesters who had not heard of the group said they think it's part of a government ploy.

Some opposition figures also questioned the government's sincerity in Sunday's meeting, saying the talks and suggestions of possible agreement might be tricks intended to end the demonstrations with Mubarak still in power and security forces situated to prevent them from restarting.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency who has returned as a major opposition figure, told CNN there was "a huge question of credibility" involving the government.

Mohammed Mursi and Mohamed Saad Al Katatni, both with the Muslim Brotherhood -- an opposition Islamist umbrella group that is officially banned but tolerated in Egypt -- said their party insisted that the closing comments after the meeting note that the two sides agreed to the importance of a peaceful transition by dissolving parliament and what the Muslim Brotherhood calls the parliament's "fraudulent" representation.

The group also insisted on an investigation into the deadly clashes in Tahrir Square last week, and that those responsible be brought to justice in Egyptian courts, the Muslim Brotherhood officials said.

Based on the meeting, the Muslim Brotherhood expects that on March 1, the two sides will take the next steps toward amendments in the constitution and reforming of the parliament, Mursi and Al Katatni said.

The statement on state-run TV said the two sides agreed to form a national committee to work on constitutional changes within a month. They also agreed to reject any foreign interference in Egypt and form a committee from the legal authority and political groups that would work together to suggest needed changes, according to the statement.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Sunday that Egypt can have an orderly transition and a representative government. He also downplayed the prospect of the Muslim Brotherhood -- which has voiced opposition to the United States -- ascending to power in Egypt once Mubarak leaves office.

"They don't have majority support in Egypt, but they are well organized," Obama told Fox News. "(But) there are a whole bunch of secular folks in Egypt, there are a whole bunch of educators and civil society in Egypt that want to come to the fore as well."

If the emergency laws in place for 30 years were to come to an end, it "would be a very significant move," Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's ambassador to the United States, told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. "It has been a longstanding demand of most of the opposition and many segments of Egyptian society to guarantee that all political activity is undertaken under normal law and in the confines of the normal judiciary."

Mubarak's announcement last week that he planned to stay in office through September's elections infuriated thousands and spurred further protests. Some Mubarak supporters clashed violently with anti-government demonstrators.

Shafiq, the prime minister, told CNN Sunday that authorities have been told "not to bother" human rights activists and journalists, and that if there have been such problems, they are "not intended."

The prime minister also said Mubarak will stay through September. "A lot of points must be covered before he leaves," Shafiq said, adding that the months ahead will make it easier for the government to "fulfill the mission" of preparing for new leadership.

On Saturday, key members of the ruling National Democratic Party resigned from leadership positions. Mubarak's son, Gamal, was among those who resigned from party posts.

CNN's Amir Ahmed, Leone Lakhani, Frederik Pleitgen, Nic Robertson, Ivan Watson and Tommy Evans contributed to this report

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