Egypt military rulers want power transfer: McCain

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Egypt military rulers want power transfer: McCain

By Khaled Desouki | AFP – 20 minutes ago

Egypt's military rulers want to hand over powers to an elected government " as

soon as possible, " US Senator McCain said after talks on Sunday with the

head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

Power was transferred to the armed forces by former president Hosni Mubarak upon

his ouster on February 11 after mass protests against his 30-year rule.

" The field marshal again indicated his absolute commitment to a transition to a

civilian government at the earliest possible time after the elections have taken

place, " McCain told reporters in Cairo.

The Republican senator was speaking after meeting Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi

who heads the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

Kerry, a Democratic senator and one-time US presidential candidate, who

took part in the talks, said: " I think they (the military) are very anxious to

get out of the business of governing and they want to go back to doing what they

were doing.

" They want a civilian government to take over the responsibilities. "

The military council has repeatedly pledged to restore power to a civilian

government after legislative elections due in September and a presidential vote

in November.

But earlier this month Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, quoted by the state-owned

Al-Ahram newspaper, said delaying a September parliamentary election would give

parties more time to prepare.

" Postponing the election would give the chance for a larger number of new

political parties to develop, " Sharaf said.

His comments come at a time of mounting calls by liberal and secular groups to

delay the election until a new constitution is drafted amid fears that early

polls could benefit Islamists.

Some secular and liberal opposition groups, however, want to push ahead with

elections to have the ruling military council -- which they see as an extension

of the old regime -- out of power as soon as possible.

The two US senators also said they had recommended that Tantawi allow

international observers for the elections.

" He clearly stated that as they move forward with the process of elections that

they would give that recommendation serious consideration, " McCain said.

In the Mubarak era, such recommendations were systematically ignored.

McCain and Kerry are in Cairo at the head of a delegation of US businessman to

discuss foreign investment in Egypt, which along with Tunisia pioneered the

" Arab spring " sweeping the region.

" The failure or success of the revolution in this part of the Arab world will be

directly related to the ability to provide investment and jobs for the Egyptian

people, " McCain said.