Some in Egypt opposition want talks

CAIRO, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Some Egyptian opposition leaders met Saturday with Vice President Omar Suleiman, while others said they would not talk while Hosni Mubarak remains in power.

Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour of the Wafd Party said the Egyptian military may step in if Mubarak leaves without a transitional plan in place, The Washington Post reported.

"We need a transition of power within a constitutional framework," he said. "At this stage, we have two possible directions: either constitutional reforms or a coup d'etat by the army. I don't see another way out."

The Muslim Brotherhood has made Mubarak's departure a precondition of any talks.

Mubarak's son, Gamal, and other leaders of the ruling party resigned Saturday.

Hossam Badrawi, a doctor known as a reformer, was named the National Democratic Party's secretary-general, the BBC reported.

Protests in Cairo subsided as Mubarak announced banks and the stock market would reopen, but thousands stayed in Tahrir Square overnight.

The BBC said there wasn't as much violence as seen in the past several days and the military was keeping a low profile.

Finance Minister Samir Radwan said Suleiman would meet with opposition leaders, but the Muslim Brotherhood and other forces have made Mubarak's immediate resignation a precondition for talks.

Radwan said the government had begun "a smooth transition of power without falling into the trap of the chaos scenario."

Cairo, Alexandria and several other cities erupted into increasingly violent demonstrations Jan. 25, calling for the end of Mubarak's 30-year reign. Earlier this week Mubarak supporters rallied and violently clashed with anti-government demonstrators.

U.N. observers said more than 300 people have been killed in the protests and at least 4,000 injured.

Meanwhile, as international financial agencies estimated Egypt is losing more than $300 million per day because of the shutdown of financial systems, the government said banks would reopen Sunday and the stock market would resume trading Monday, the report said.