CAIRO, Egypt – In a rare burst of openness before a visit to America, Egypt’s prime minister said yesterday he will try to convince President Bush that the world’s largest Arab nation is making big strides toward democracy – even as he acknowledged the upcoming presidential vote won’t be a true election.

Prime Minister Nazief also took a hard line against religious groups, saying the Muslim Brotherhood – the country’s largest and most-organized opposition – “will never be a [political] party.”

He said the government has not decided whether to allow international monitors during the September election – a plan the Bush administration is expected to push.

Mr. Nazief’s visit next week to Washington comes at a time when Egypt suddenly faces a whirlwind of change after years of stasis. Daily political protests challenge President Mubarak’s 24-year rule, and the president himself shocked his nation by saying he would allow opponents to run in the election.

The opposition calls the reforms a farce because they give the ruling party a say over which independent candidates can run, while reformers argue a truly free election is impossible given the president’s domination of the media.

Mr. Bush, too, is pushing for more reform. And the Egyptian government, clearly worried about its reputation, took the unusual step of making both Mr. Nazief and Mr. Mubarak’s son – fresher and more modern personalities – available to Western reporters.

Many political analysts believe Mr. Mubarak, 77, is not making his annual trip to Washington because he wants to avoid the possibility of politically embarrassing public criticism from American officials, though Mr. Nazief said the president is simply too busy.

“This new U.S. emphasis has really created a certain amount of tension,” a Mideast expert at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Steven Cook, said.

Mr. Mubarak has repeatedly been reelected in referendum balloting in which he was the only candidate. Mr. Nazief, a free-trade supporter who cut corporate taxes and customs duties since taking office last summer, acknowledged the recent changes by Mr. Mubarak are small steps.

“It will still be more of a referendum than an election,” he said of the September vote.

But he said he hoped to convince Mr. Bush that more change was coming.

“It doesn’t help a lot when somebody takes a courageous step, and the first thing he faces is skepticism,” he said. The president’s son, Gamal Mubarak, said the election changes will have long-term democratic effects. “This is such a fundamental change that many people are still unable to comprehend that they will change things … for years and years to come,” the younger Mubarak, who holds a key policy post in the ruling party, said.

Pointing to signs of what he called further reform, Mr. Nazief said Egypt’s state-controlled television will give equal air time to candidates once they are announced. He insisted that a heavy police presence at opposition political meetings is not meant to discourage participation.

He denied police have turned away some Egyptians from opposition rallies or meetings – although reporters have witnessed that.

“That shouldn’t be the case,” he said of the police. “They have clear instructions not to intimidate.”

Mr. Nazief also made clear the government will take a hard line against the Brotherhood – by far the country’s biggest and most organized opposition. Secretary of State Rice said earlier that America supported Islamic parties’ participation. The leader of the group said in remarks published yesterday that it has no plans to nominate a candidate for presidential elections. In his press conference, Mr. Nazief also said:

* A voter referendum to approve the constitutional amendment allowing multiparty presidential elections is set for May 25, and after that, the government hopes to set election regulations before Parliament leaves in June, meaning campaigning could start then.

* The government is considering easing restrictions on the formation of political parties, but the Brotherhood still would not qualify.