QENA - Prime Minister Essam Sharaf pledged to meet demands by residents in the Upper Egyptian city of Qena, where demonstrations erupted last month against the appointment of a Coptic police general as governor before the Government bowed down and suspended him for three months. While Sharaf was expected to discuss the Qena governor crisis, he instead stated tersely: “All your demands will be met.” His local audience, in turn, called for naming a Muslim civil governor for their province. The Premier repeated: "I promise all your demands will be met." "Speaking to you from the heart, the Government is planning major development in Upper Egypt," Sharaf told the crowds as he hailed the religious unity in the dominantly Muslim governorate. Earlier in the day, Sharaf had prayed the noon prayers in a mosque before he paid a visit to Main Cathedral in Qena, where he had talks with Christian priests over their demands. The streets of the once-restive province were decorated with banners welcoming Sharaf, before chaos dominated the scene when the Prime Minister began to deliver title deeds of apartments to new owners. Life returned to normal in Qena after Sharaf announced last week that he suspended the duty of Emad Mikhail, a new governor appointed in mid-April, for three months. The protesters had been further angered by Mikhail's past as a police officer. During the peak of the protests, both the highways leading into the province were blocked as well as rail tracks, stopping trains shuttling between Luxor, Aswan and Cairo.
