Activists in Egypt held strikes and demonstrations Saturday to mark the first anniversary of President Hosni Mubarak's overthrow, but the turnout was modest.

The day of civil disobedience was called to demand that the ruling military council hand over power to civilian authority. But the strikes seemed to cause little disruption and only a few protesters gathered in Tahrir Square.

One Egyptian man said he wanted to remember the successes of the past year instead of focusing on the work left to be done.

“We would dub this day as a 'Celebration' instead of calling for 'Civil disobedience'. Mubarak has resigned, and everybody now feels comfort. We got rid of Mubarak's corruption. We also removed his spoiled entourage. He was like a dilemma for thirty years, therefore we shouldn't call for civil disobedience, because we will suffer its dire consequences.''

The action follows a march by thousands on the defense ministry in Cairo Friday, calling for the immediate departure of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. The military council, which took power when Mr. Mubarak stepped down last February, said it would not “bow to threats, nor succumb to pressures” to accelerate the transition to civilian rule.

On Saturday, the military rulers met with the Pentagon's top general in Cairo amid tensions between the two countries over charges filed against at least 16 American NGO workers accused of stirring unrest.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey met with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and several other military council members to discuss diplomatic relations, including the travel ban on 43 local and foreign activists. The U.S. has said the investigation could threaten Egypt's billion-dollar aid budget.

Egypt's military rulers have promised to stage a presidential election by June to complete a democratic transition to civilian rule. The ruling military also held a phased parliamentary election that led to last month's formation of a new assembly dominated by Islamist parties.