Egyptian military seeks civilian panel's advice on early transfer of power

Cairo, Jan 30(ANI): Egypt's military rulers have sought advice from a civilian advisory council regarding the transfer of power to civilians before the June-end deadline.

The move follows major protests demanding an immediate handover and the request might be an attempt to help calm the unrest, The New York Times reports.

The military council, which assumed power after President Hosni Mubarak stepped down had earlier said it would cede power only after the ratification of a new constitution and the election of a president, which are expected to take place by the end of June.

The plans of an early transfer of power also comes amid signs of a growing accord over the terms of a handover between the military council and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that dominates the parliament.

A senior Muslim Brotherhood leader, Khairat el-Shater, had predicted that the details of the military budget might be overseen by only a limited committee of parliament and added that the full parliament would review only the total size of the military budget.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian military delegation arrived in the US to mend ties with Washington, which has called on the ruling generals to turn over power to a civilian government as soon as possible.

Egypt had earlier barred at least six Americans working for United States democracy-building groups from leaving the country, and the US had threatened to withhold military aid in its response.

Polls opened for the seventh time on Sunday since the beginning of Egypt's staggered parliamentary elections, but the turnout was low. (ANI)