<p><br /> A US official has said beleaguered Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak should stay in office while a handover of power is negotiated.<br /> </p><p><br /> Egypt's key ally and aid donor had been demanding that regime change should start immediately.<br /> </p><p><br /> But Frank Wisner, US special envoy to Egypt, said: "We need to get a national consensus around the pre-conditions for the next step forward. The president must stay in office to steer those changes."<br /> </p><p><br /> One US official declined to associate himself with Wisner's comments, saying the retired US diplomat had undertaken his mission to Cairo as a private citizen and did not speak for the US government.<br /> </p><p><br /> But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also spoke of supporting the Egyptian government to ensure a swift and orderly handover of power.<br /> </p><p><br /> While Mr Mubarak has reshuffled his government, he says he plans to stay as president until September polls, defying protesters who demand he step down immediately.<br /> </p><p><br /> State television announced that the leadership of the ruling party, including Mr Mubarak's son Gamal, had resigned.<br /> </p><p><br /> With some protesters insisting they want not just Mubarak but also his allies out straight away, moves to keep the 82-year-old president in office are unlikely to go down well.<br /> </p><p><br /> An Egyptian army commander was shouted down when he tried to persuade thousands of demonstrators at Tahrir Square to stop a protest that has stalled economic life in the capital.<br /> </p>
