Mubarak says will continue as long as alive

CAIRO, Nov 19 (Reuters) Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said today he would retain his responsibilities for the rest of his life, suggesting to some that he would not cut short his current six-year term to make way for his son Gamal.

Mubarak also said he would propose to parliament a second amendment in two years to the system for presidential elections to make it easier for opposition parties to compete.

''I will continue with you the path of transition to the future, bearing the responsibility and burdens of it, as long as there is in my chest a heart that beats and I draw breath,'' he told parliament at the start of a new session.

His remark drew standing ovations from the two houses of parliament and Mubarak repeated the words several times.

''Transition to the future'' was the slogan of Mubarak's presidential campaign in 2005, when he faced a rival candidate for the first time in a quarter century as head of state of the Arab world's most populous country.

Political analyst Mohamed el-Sayed Said said the natural interpretation of Mubarak's remark was that he intended to stay in office for the rest of his life.

Some analysts have speculated that Mubarak, 78, plans to step down before his current term ends in 2011 so that Gamal Mubarak, a prominent member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), can take over.

Gamal Nassar of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest opposition force, said that he could not rule out the possibility that Mubarak meant he would stay in office for life but that the authorities were sending mixed signals.

''You also find that there are arrangements for what is called inheritance, in the form of direct intervention by Gamal Mubarak in affairs of state, and his constant rise in the National Democratic Party,'' Nassar told Reuters. ''Sometimes they say one thing and do the opposite,'' he added.

Said, deputy director of the al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, a Cairo think tank, said: ''The language that he used is the language you use when you say 'I'm staying in power until I pass away.'.'' ''The interesting feature in this is the enthusiasm with which the members met this statement, clearly signifying some sort of unease with the notion of inheritance or passing power to the president's son,'' he added.

On amending the constitution, Mubarak said: ''I will submit a new request for an amendment to Article 76.'' Article 76 sets procedures for presidential elections.

One of the aims would be ''to reinforce the chances of parties taking part in presidential elections'', he added.

The government had already signalled that it was planning to change the article, which under present conditions would enable only the ruling party to field a presidential candidate because no other party has enough parliamentary seats to qualify.

But Mubarak did not say what changes he would propose.

REUTERS SP BS2101