Generals promise Egypt power transfer

EGYPT’S ruling generals offered last night to transfer power to a civilian president by July in a dramatic attempt to placate protesters and defuse a political crisis that has jolted plans for the country’s first free election in decades.

The military council, in power since Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February, also agreed at a meeting with politicians to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s cabinet and to replace it with a national salvation government within days to steer Egypt to civilian rule.

“We agreed on July as the month to transfer power to a civilian president,” said one participant, Emad Abdel Ghafour, head of the Salafi Islamist Nour (Light) Party.