Egypt military rulers start crisis talks with political forces

Egypt's ruling military council is in talks with the country's political forces on Tuesday to discuss ways of ending the current political crisis, the Egyptian TV said. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and representatives of several political parties and movements are currently meeting in the Defense Ministry's office in Cairo amid violent protests in Cairo and other cities. Reports are controversial about who is taking part in the meeting. The Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper said the meeting was to bring together SCAF Chairman Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, his deputy and "potential candidates for the premiership." The paper said in its English edition that Coordinator for the National Association for Change Abdel Guelil Mostafa, Ain Shams University law professor Hossam Eissa and an unidentified activist are among the figures being considered for the position, but presidential hopefuls Mohamed ElBaradei and Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh were excluded. The Dostor news website said that the country's new premier would be announced after the meeting, and ElBaradei was the most likely candidate. Tantawi may make a speech later today and there are rumors that he will transfer power to the head of the constitutional court. The rallies, demanding a soonest transition to democratically elected authorities, began on Friday and turned violent on Saturday. Violent clashes between protestors and police continued throughout the weekend, forcing the country's entire Cabinet to step down on Monday. A day after, fresh violence erupted near Cairo's Tahrir Square. The death toll in the protests rose to 28 on Tuesday, with 26 being killed in Tahrir and two deaths in Alexandria and Ismailia, the official MENA news agency said citing health ministry data. The Egyptian military police started building cordons of concrete blocks and barbed wire around the interior ministry's building near the Tahrir Square where fresh protests are to begin on Tuesday evening. An Anbaa Moscow correspondent reported from the scene that the number of protesters and demonstrators on Tahrir Square is increasing and the situation now is reminiscent of the revolution of January 25 with protestors calling for the overthrow of the SCAF. He said protestors are using glasses made of metal wire to protect their eyes from rubber bullets and many of them have phone numbers written on their body parts to indentify them in case of death or injury. A doctor said on the condition of anonymity that most of the injured people were hit by bullets in their eyes or suffered limb fractures as a result of severe beating. He also confirmed rumors that police used tear gas with a date of expiration in 1996, which has a serious health impact and may even kill those who breathe it in for five minutes.