Foreign minister resigns ahead of expected cabinet reshuffle

Egypt's foreign minister Mohammed al-Orabi has resigned in the first steps towards a sweeping cabinet shuffle aimed at appeasing protesters. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, who heads the caretaker government after a revolt which toppled president Hosni Mubarak in February, is expected to unveil a new cabinet by Monday.

AFP/ STR

The move is aimed at ending a week-long sit-in in central Cairo.

Orabi said he made his decision "to spare the prime minister any embarrassment during the current negotiations on the ministerial changes". Orabi had filled the post for less then a month, taking over from Nabil al-Arabi, a popular choice who had quit the ministry to head the Arab League.

The announcement of his resignation came hours after Sharaf appointed veteran economist Hazem Beblawi and Ali al-Silmi, a leader of the liberal Wafd party, as his deputies.

The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has also promised to restrict military trials to cases of rape, assaults on police and armed assaults. One of the protesters' key demands is an end to military trials of civilians, which have become the norm since Mubarak's ouster.

The prime minister has come under fire from dissidents, who once embraced him, for the slow pace of reforms since the revolt and for his limited powers under military rule.

Despite the announcements, hundreds of protesters who pitched tents in Tahrir Square stayed put, although some protesters suspended a hunger strike after negotiations with military representatives.

The sit-in in the iconic square, the epicentre of the 18 day revolt that overthrew Mubarak, began after tens of thousands held a demonstration on 8 July calling for speedier reforms.

There are reports that up to 15 ministers may be replaced in the cabinet reshuffle, with a focus on those with ties to Mubarak's three-decade rule.