Protest leaders meet with Egypt PM

CAIRO (AP) - Leaders of unprecedented wave of anti-government protests Egypt held talks with the Prime Minister on ways to ease out President Hosni Mubarak of Office. Under one proposal, the 82-year-old leader of the hand of his powers to his vice president, but not his title immediately, give him a graceful exit.

Mubarak has refused to leave faith, insist on serving the remainder of his term until September, and his aides have repeatedly said in recent days that the country's leader of nearly 30 years may be dumped in a humiliating way.

The protesters say they can not turn their huge rallies to stop or to enter into substantive negotiations on democratic reform Mubarak concluded. Thousands continued to gather Saturday in downtown Cairo Tahrir Square, one day after some 100,000 demonstrators are demanding massive Mubarak immediately leave power.

A self-declared group of Egyptian elite - the so-called 'group of wise men "- has spread ideas to try that impasse. Among them is a proposal that Mubarak" replaces "Vice-President Omar Suleiman with his powers and, for the moment at least, to resign in everything but name.

The "wise men" who are separate from the protesters on the ground, twice in recent days met with Suleiman and Prime Minister, said Amr El-Shobaki, a member of the group. Their proposals also call for dissolving the parliament monopolized by the ruling party and the end to emergency legislation that security forces near unlimited powers.

Friday evening, a delegation of the demonstrators themselves Shafiq meet to discuss the impasse, said Youssef Abdel-Rahman, a youth activist who participated in the meeting.

Youssef told The Associated Press on Saturday that the meeting is not a start of negotiations. "It was a message to see how to resolve the crisis. The message is that the legitimacy of the revolution and to recognize that a president must somehow, either real or political room to leave," he said.

The protesters are seeking the proposal put forward by the "wise men", said Youssef, a member of the youth movement connected to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and prominent reform advocate.

"It would be an end to the crisis," said Youssef. "But the problem is with the president ... he will not believe he has become a burden for everyone, psychological, and military civicly."

Israa Abdel-Fattah, a member of the April 6 group, one of the other youth movements controlling the demonstrations, said there is support for the proposal of the wise men among the demonstrators.

Youssef stressed that the 12-day-old protests will Tahrir Square until Mubarak is in an acceptable manner.

"There is no force that the young people to arrive at the square. Every means was used. Flexibility, violence, live ammunition, and even criminals, and the demonstrators remain steadfast," he said, referring to an attack by the regime supporters on Wednesday that 48 hours after heavy street fighting led to protesters managed to drive away the attackers.

On Saturday, protesters soldiersutted vehicles used as barricades during the fighting, but protesters argued with them for the vehicles to stay. Also, rumors circulated on the square that the military - which has surrounded Tahrir days - was preparing to withdraw, so some protesters lay on the ground in front of tanks to prevent. The protesters see the military as a measure of protection from the police or the regime supporters fear they attack again, although the government promised Friday not to try to remove the protesters by force.

The emergence of several players and talks marked a new stage in the evolution of the crisis as all parties try to post-Mubarak transition shape.

Suleiman and Shafiq - both soldiers, like Mubarak and the regime stalwarts who were appointed to the post last week - have led the government of the crisis. They have tried to the protesters and the opposition to pull in the negotiations to a rapid constitutional reforms, so the election to determine President Mubarak for a new replacement can be held in September.

Protesters are wary of a trap. They fear that without the pressure of protesters in the streets demanding democracy, the regime will provide only superficial reforms while her grip on power. So they are reluctant to end the demonstrations without the actual victory of Mubarak were expelled or guarantees in relation to what happens next.

El-Shobaki, the "wise men", said Suleiman has not responded to their proposal, Mubarak would replace him.

"The stumbling point," said al-Shobaki.

The "wise men" are composed of a dozen lawyers and prominent public figures, including former minister and lawyer Ahmed Kamal Aboul-Magd, political scientist and businessman Naguib Sawiris academics like al-Shobaki. "We have none of the youths on the ground to represent. We keep in touch with them," said al-Shobaki.

The protest organizers themselves are a mix. Most are young secular leftists and liberals, who started the wave of protests has an internet campaign, but the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood also has built a prominent role. They have succeeded in drawing a surprisingly broad cross section of the public, including the urban poor, lower middle and upper class young.

Protest organizers have formed a committee that will conduct any future negotiations with the government on reforms. The committee consists of El Baradei, the Muslim Brotherhood and the representatives of youth factions.