President Hosni Mubarak met Saturday with the ministers of finance, social solidarity, and petroleum and the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt.

The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq. State-run news agency MENA did not provide any details about the meeting, which is the first of its kind since the formation of Mubarak's new government.

Observers say that the meeting will undermine mediation efforts by the Committee of Wise Men which is seeking to bring the points of view of the regime and the protesters closer together.

They also say that the meeting indicates that Mubarak insists on staying in power despite nationwide protests calling for his ouster which have entered their tenth day.

Shafiq, meanwhile, has announced that the government is examining the possibility of raising the annual bonus --for which 6 million state employees are eligible--and paying it out earlier than its usual date.

State-run media cited Shafiq as saying that the bonus will be added to salaries in March or April instead of in June. He also said that it may be raised from seven percent to between 10-15 percent.

Al Masry Al Youm