Gul: "Egypt's military rulers should speedily meet the people's demands"

Egypt's military rulers appreciate the Egyptian people's yearnings for democracy and have vowed to quickly do their part for this, President Abdullah Gul said in Cairo yesterday. "I saw that they want to and will enjoy the pride of realizing democracy together with the people of Egypt," Gul said after talks with Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the military council that took control in Egypt after the ousting of longtime President Hosni Mubarak. Gul's visit to Egypt is his first since a popular uprising against Mubarak forced him out of power on Feb. 11. Gul said the military rulers should allow a quick and transparent transition to meet the Egyptian people's demands for democracy. "A transition process is the best way to meet the people's expectations," Gul told reporters aboard his plane before arriving in Cairo, where he was due to hold talks not only with military leaders but also with political groups. "The transition must be transparent and open and must be satisfactory. If the transition period doesn't meet the expectations of the people, it won't be successful. This shouldn't take too long."