A member of the "Committee of Wise Men" said the main demand of protesters in Tahrir Square was for President Hosni Mubarak to step down and transfer his authority to Vice-President Omar Suleiman.
The committee was formed as Nobel Prize winner Ahmed Zeweil called for negotiations with the Egyptian regime on the transfer of power. The committee includes 18 intellectuals and businessmen, including Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, constitutional law expert Yehia al-Gamal, former ambassadors Nabil al-Arabi and Nabil Fahmy, publisher Ibrahim al-Moalem, former information minister Mansour Hassan and musician Ammar al-Sheri’ey.
Al-Moalem, vice-president of the International Publishers Association, said that Egypt’s young people had begun an unprecedented revolution in Egyptian and world history.
"They refuse dictatorship," he said. "They want a decent life."
Al-Moalem explained that young people had clear and legitimate objectives. Their steadfastness since the beginning of protests on 25 January encouraged the masses to take to streets, he said.
“What we want now is to fulfill the young people’s demands and keep Egypt safe and secure,” said al-Moalem, noting that the Committee of Wise Men had communicated with VP Omar Suleiman and newly-appointed prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.
