the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
has renewed calls for Egypt's military rulers to ensure a "peaceful transition".
According to Ban's front man, Martin Nesirky, as tens of thousands of demonstrators massed in the Egyptian capital Cairo's Tahrir Square demanding the army rulers step down, Ban and Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi held a telephone conversation ahead of Egypt's elections which are due to start on Monday.
The UN leader renewed a plea "for an inclusive, orderly and peaceful transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people through transparent and credible elections leading to the establishment of civilian rule," said his spokesperson.
"The secretary general remains deeply concerned by the violence in Egypt over the last few days. He deplores the loss of life and the high number of injured, and reiterates his call for the transitional authorities to guarantee the protection of human rights
...which often include carefully measured allowances of
freedomat the convenience of the state...
and civil liberties for all Egyptians," he said.
The US and other governments have also called for a quick transition to civilian rule in Egypt.
The military council has ruled out stepping down, and has pledged to maintain security during the first poll since a popular uprising toppled Mubarak in February. General Mukthar al-Mulla said "The people have entrusted us with a mission and, if we abandon it now, it would be a betrayal of the people."
Egypt's new prime minister, 78-year-old Kamal al-Ganzuri, a premier under ousted president Hosni Mubarak
...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
tasked to head a new cabinet, has so far failed to win over the thousands of demonstrators packed into Tahrir Square who continued to demand that the military rulers step down.
Ganzuri, who served as Mubarak's prime minister between 1996 and 1999 told news hounds in his first public statement after his appointment that previous cabinets over the past 60 years were given many powers by the President of the republic.
Later he said he would formalise his government "before the end of next week" and would allocate some portfolios to younger people, but protesters in the square quickly rejected his appointment, saying he was not the man to lead a transition to democracy.
Hundreds of demonstrators in the square branched off to the nearby cabinet offices to block Ganzuri from entering the building, chanting "revolution" and "Ganzuri is a former regime leftover."
"Our mistake in the (January-February) revolution was to think that we had only to topple Mubarak. But what we did was to cut off the head and leave the body," protesters said.
The protesters proposed a list of presidential candidates to form a civilian leadership council, including former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei
Egyptian law scholar and Iranian catspaw. He was head of the IAEA from December 1997 to November 2009. At some point during his tenure he was purchased by the Iranians. ElBaradei and the IAEA were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for something in 2005. After stepping down from his IAEA position ElBaradei attempted to horn in on the 2011 Egyptian protests which culminated in the collapse of the Mubarak regime. ElBaradei served on the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group, a lefty NGO that is bankrolled by the Carnegie Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as George Soros' Open Society Institute. Soros himself serves as a member of the organization's Executive Committee.
, a prominent dissident during Mubarak's rule.
Earlier they were bolstered by an announcement that the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest authority, had thrown his weight behind them.