BICOM

US President Barack Obama yesterday expressed his support for the transition process launched by newly appointed Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman. Suleiman has begun a process of consultation with opposition parties, intended to allow for peaceful progress towards a more representative government in Egypt. Constitutional reform is expected, in the build-up to new presidential and parliamentary elections. Talks took place on Sunday between the government and representatives of a number of opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood. A Spokesmen for these movements said afterwards that their central demand remained the immediate resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. This demand, however, shows little sign if early fulfilment, although Der Spiegel yesterday reported that Mubarak may depart for cancer treatment in Baden Baden and would announce his resignation from Germany. Nevertheless, Mubarak’s official position remains that he will stay in office until September. There are also signs of division within the 25 person group of negotiators chosen by the protestors to present them in talks with the government. Some of this number now support allowing Mubarak to stay on for a six month transition period.

Obama yesterday urged all sides in the talks to allow for an ‘orderly transition.’ However, Philip Crowley, State Department Spokesman, yesterday acknowledged that the US remained concerned that the process of consultation remained insufficiently broad-based. Life in Cairo, meanwhile, appears to be slowly returning to normal. According to a report in today’s Independent, businesses, shops and banks were open in the Egyptian capital yesterday for the first time since the unrest began. Tens of thousands of protestors remain in Tahrir Square, but eyewitnesses estimated that the numbers were down on previous days. The government is clearly making efforts to placate the populace. A 15 per cent pay rise for public employees has been announced.