Opposition party pulls out of talks with government

CAIRO - Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told Britain's BBC that President Hosni Mubarak may step down and the situation in the country will be clarified soon, the British broadcaster said on Thursday.

"In an interview with BBC Arabic, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq confirms that the scenario of President Mubarak stepping down is being discussed. He says whether it is positive or negative will be clarified soon," the BBC said on its website.

A BBC reporter also quoted the head of Mubarak's political party as saying that the president might go.

"I spoke to the new secretary general of the ruling National Democratic Party, Hossan Badrawi, he said, 'I hope the president is handing over his powers tonight' and he said the president would probably address the nation tonight.

Egyptian opposition party Tagammu, pulled out of talks on reform with the government on Thursday, saying Mubarak's administration had not responded "to the minimum level of popular demands".

The Tagammu Party was the first group to announce its withdrawal from a dialogue which Vice-President Omar Suleiman began on Sunday to try to quell anger fuelling mass protests.

The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, the most influential and organized opposition group, said on Wednesday the talks had yet to tackle the issues that triggered the protests sweeping Egypt for more than two weeks.

Thousands of workers in industries like textiles, steel and telecommunications are staging protests, sit-ins and strikes over wages and working conditions across the country, suggesting a spirit of civil disobedience is spreading.

China believes Egypt's affairs should be decided by its own people and no outside forces should seek to intervene, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said at a regular news conference on Thursday.

Egypt is a major Arab and African country and its stability affects the peace and stability of the whole region, he said, expressing China's concern with the ongoing political crisis in the country.

"China understands and supports the efforts of the Egyptian authorities to maintain social stability and restore normal order, and China believes the Egyptian authorities have the ability to solve the issue properly," Ma said.

Ma also said China values its traditional friendship and strategic cooperative ties with Egypt, expecting bilateral relations to continue to develop in a sound and steady manner.

He stressed that China is doing its utmost to ensure the safety of Chinese people and organizations there.

China had arranged eight flights to bring back more than 1,800 Chinese citizens, including about 360 from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, from Jan 31 to Feb 3, according to Ma.

Thanks to international pressure, there is an increased possibility of a political compromise being reached in Egypt, said Zhang Xiaodong, deputy chief of the Chinese Association for Middle East Studies.

In a phone conversation with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on the Egyptian unrest on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama called for "immediate steps toward an orderly transition" in the most populous nation of the Arab world.

China Daily-Agencies