Egyptian unrest

Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday continued to press demands for Egypt's military rulers to give up power, rejecting their appointment of former premier Kamal Ganzouri as interim prime minister.

Reports said clashes between protesters and police in some places killed at least one person and injured others.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) is overseeing a transition to civilian rule.

Despite promises by the council to speed up the process, some protesters fear it intends to cling to power. They want military rule to end before parliamentary elections are held.

Ganzouri: 'Give me a chance'

Protesters are also against Ganzouri's appointment, even on an interim basis, due to his connections to the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Ganzouri served as Egyptian prime minister from 1996 to 1999 under Mubarak.

In his first public comments since being named, Ganzouri asked Egyptians "to give me a chance." He also said he would not name a new government before Monday's polls.

Earlier, in a press conference hours before his appointment, Ganzouri promised to build a unity government.

"The formation of the new government will be dictated by the common good, regardless of political affiliations," Ganzouri said.

The previous civilian cabinet, led by Essam Sharaf, resigned earlier this week amid violent protests, which left at least 41 people dead - 36 of them in Cairo - and more than 2,000 injured.

After intense international pressure, the military issued an apology on Thursday for the deaths, and in a statement offered "its condolences to the families of the martyrs across Egypt."

The European Union's foreign policy spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic, called for an independent investigation into the deaths while emphasizing that "law and order must be ensured in a manner that is respectful of human rights."

Kocijancic went on to say that the political transition in Egypt should proceed swiftly.

"We urge a swift handover to a civilian government and underline the need for democratic transition to be transparent, fair and accountable," she said. "The elections must respect the timetable that was announced."

Military council refuses to step down

The military council has vowed that the parliamentary election will go ahead as planned on Monday, saying it would do everything in its power to prevent a repeat of the violence that swept Cairo and Alexandria, the country's second city, over the last week.

Despite calls to step down immediately, the military ruled out any such move.

"The people have entrusted us with a mission and if we abandon it now, it would be a betrayal of the people," said General Mukthar el-Mallah, a senior member of the ruling military council.

Mallah also said the military respected the views of the protesters, but that they did not represent the whole of Egypt.

"We will not relinquish power because a slogan-chanting crowd said so. Being in power is not a blessing. It is a curse. It's a very heavy responsibility," he said.

Protesters blame the military for the country's tenuous security and growing economic problems.

Students going home

Meanwhile, news agency AP reported on Saturday that two of three US students arrested last Sunday on the roof of a university building near Tahrir Square, have left Egypt.

The three were arrested for allegedly throwing petrol bombs from the roof at security forces below. All three were studying at the American University in Cairo.

Author: Spencer Kimball, Stuart Tiffen (dpa, AP, AFP)
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar