Mubarak rejects protesters' demand to step down

CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak defied a quarter-million protesters demanding he

step down immediately, announcing he would serve out the last months of his term and “die on Egyptian soil.” He promised not to seek re-election, but that did not calm public fury as clashes erupted between his opponents and supporters.
The protesters, whose numbers multiplied more than tenfold in a single day Tuesday for their biggest rally yet, have insisted they will not end their unprecedented week-old wave of unrest until their ruler for nearly three decades goes.
Mubarak’s halfway concession — an end to his rule seven months down the road — threatened to inflame frustration and anger among protesters, who have been peaceful in recent days.
In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, clashes erupted between several hundred protesters and government supporters soon afterward, according to footage by Al-Jazeera television. The protesters threw stones at their rivals, who wielded knives and sticks, until soldiers fired in the air and stepped in between them, said a local journalist, Hossam el-Wakil.
The speech was immediately derided by protesters in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square. Watching on a giant TV, protesters booed and waved their shoes over their heads at his image in a sign of contempt. “Go, go, go! We are not leaving until he leaves,” they chanted. One man screamed, “He doesn’t want to say it, he doesn’t want to say it.”
In the 10-minute address, the 82-year-old Mubarak appeared somber but spoke firmly and without an air of defeat. He insisted that even if the protests had never happened, he would not have sought a sixth term in September.
Mubarak said he would serve out the rest of his term working “to accomplish the necessary steps for the peaceful transfer of power.” He said he will carry out amendments to rules on presidential elections.
Mubarak, a former air force commander, vowed not to flee the country. “This is my dear homeland ... I have lived in it, I fought for it and defended its soil, sovereignty and interests. On its soil I will die. History will judge me and all of us.” The step came after heavy pressure from his top ally, the United States. Soon after Mubarak’s address, President Barack Obama said at the White House that he had spoken with Mubarak and “he recognizes that the status quo is not sustainable and a change must take place.” Obama said he told Mubarak that an orderly transition must be meaningful and peaceful, must begin now and must include opposition parties.
Earlier, a visiting Obama envoy — former ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner, who is a friend of the Egyptian president — met with Mubarak and made clear to him that it is the US “view that his tenure as president is coming to a close,” according to an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the ongoing diplomacy.
The United States has been struggling to find a way to ease Mubarak out of office while maintaining stability in Egypt, a key ally in the Mideast that has a 30-year-old peace treaty with Israel and has been a bulwark against Islamic militancy.
Mubarak would be the second Arab leader pushed from office by a popular uprising in the history of the modern Middle East, following the ouster last month of the president of Tunisia — another North African nation.
The US ambassador in Cairo, Margaret Scobey, spoke by telephone Tuesday with Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, the embassy said. ElBaradei, a pro-democracy advocate and one of the opposition’s most prominent leaders, has taken a key role in formulating the movement’s demands. He is also a member of a new committee formed by various factions to conduct any future negotiations on the protesters’ behalf once Mubarak steps down.
There was no immediate word on what he and Scobey discussed.
Only a month ago, reform activists would have greeted Mubarak’s announcement with joy — many Egyptians believed Mubarak was going to run again despite health issues. But after the past week of upheaval, Mubarak’s address struck many of his opponents as inadequate.
“The people have spoken. They said no to Mubarak, and they will not go back on their words,” said Saad el-Katatni, a leading member of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. “Enough suffering. Let him go, and leave the Egyptians to sort themselves out.” Ayman Nour, a former presidential candidate who is a member of the negotiating committee, said Mubarak clearly didn’t get the message.
“This is a unique case of stubbornness that will end in a disaster,” he said. “It is only expected that he wasn’t going to run because of his age. ... He offered nothing new.” Tuesday’s protest marked a dramatic escalation that organizers said aims to drive Mubarak out by Friday, with more than 250,000 people flooding into Tahrir, or Liberation, Square.
Protesters jammed in shoulder to shoulder: farmers and unemployed university graduates, women in conservative headscarves and women in high heels, men in suits and working-class men in scuffed shoes. Many in the crowd traveled from rural provinces, defying a government transportation shutdown and roadblocks on intercity highways.
They sang nationalist songs, danced, beat drums and chanted the anti-Mubarak slogan “Leave! Leave! Leave!” as military helicopters buzzed overhead. Similar demonstrations erupted in at least five other cities around Egypt.
Soldiers at checkpoints set up at the entrances of the square did nothing to stop the crowds from entering. The military promised on state TV Monday night that it would not fire on protesters answering a call for a million people to demonstrate, a sign that army support for Mubarak may be unraveling.
The movement to drive Mubarak out has been built on the work of online activists and fueled by deep frustration with an autocratic regime blamed for ignoring the needs of the poor and allowing corruption and official abuse to run rampant. After years of tight state control, protesters emboldened by the Tunisia unrest took to the streets on Jan. 25 and mounted a once-unimaginable series of protests across this nation of 80 million.
The repercussions were being felt around the Mideast, as other authoritarian governments fearing popular discontent pre-emptively tried to burnish their democratic image.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II fired his government Tuesday in the face of smaller street protests, named an ex-prime minister to form a new Cabinet and ordered him to launch political reforms. The Palestinian Cabinet in the West Bank said it would hold long-promised municipal elections “as soon as possible.” Egypt’s protesters have rejected earlier concessions by Mubarak, including the dissolution of his government, the naming of a new one and the appointment of a vice president, intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who offered a dialogue with “political forces” over constitutional and legislative reforms.
In an interview with Al-Arabiya television Tuesday, ElBaradei dismissed Suleiman’s offer, saying there could be no negotiations until Mubarak leaves. In his speech, Mubarak said the offer still stands and promised to change constitutional articles that allow the president unlimited terms and limit those who can run for the office.
Egypt’s state TV on Tuesday ran a statement by the new prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, pleading with the public to “give a chance” to his government.
The United States ordered nonessential US government personnel and their families to leave Egypt. They join a wave of people rushing to flee the country — over 18,000 overwhelmed Cairo’s international airport and threw it into chaos. EgyptAir staff scuffled with frantic passengers, food supplies were dwindling and some policemen even demanded substantial bribes before allowing foreigners to board their planes.
Banks, schools and the stock market in Cairo were closed for the third working day, making cash tight. Bread prices spiraled. An unprecedented shutdown of the Internet was in its fifth day.
The official death toll from the crisis stood at 97, with thousands injured, though reports from witnesses across the country indicated the actual toll was far higher.
But perhaps most startling was how peaceful the protests have been in recent days, after the military replaced the police around Tahrir Square and made no move to try to suppress the demonstrations. No clashes between the military and protesters have been reported since Friday night, after pitched street battles with the police throughout the day Friday.
Egypt’s military leadership has reassured the US that they do not intend to crack down on demonstrators, but instead they are allowing the protesters to “wear themselves out,” according to a former US official in contact with several top Egyptian army officers. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Troops alongside Soviet-era and newer US-made Abrams tanks stood guard at roads leading into Tahrir Square.
Protester volunteers wearing tags reading “the People’s Security” circulated through the crowds in the square, saying they were watching for government infiltrators who might try to instigate violence. Organizers said the protest would remain in the square and not attempt to march to the presidential palace to avoid frictions with the military.
Two effigies of Mubarak dangled from traffic lights. On their chests was written: “We want to put the murderous president on trial.” Their faces were scrawled with the Star of David, an allusion to many protesters’ feeling that Mubarak is a friend of Israel, still seen by most Egyptians as their country’s archenemy more than 30 years after the two nations signed a peace treaty.
Every protester had their own story of why they came — with a shared theme of frustration with a life pinned in by corruption, low wages, crushed opportunities and abuse by authorities. Under Mubarak, Egypt has seen a widening gap between rich and poor, with 40 percent of the population living under or just above the poverty line set by the World Bank at $2 a day.
Sahar Ahmad, a 41-year-old school teacher and mother of one, said she has taught for 22 years and still only makes about $70 a month.
“There are 120 students in my classroom. That’s more than any teacher can handle,” said Ahmad. “Change would mean a better education system I can teach in and one that guarantees my students a good life after school. If there is democracy in my country, then I can ask for democracy in my own home.” Tamer Adly, a driver of one of the thousands of minibuses that ferry commuters around Cairo, said he was sick of the daily humiliation he felt from police who demand free rides and send him on petty errands, reflecting the widespread public anger at police high-handedness.
“They would force me to share my breakfast with them ...
force me to go fetch them a newspaper. This country should not just be about one person,” the 30-year-old lamented, referring to Mubarak.
Among the older protesters, there was also a sense of amazement after three decades of unquestioned control by Mubarak’s security forces over the streets.
“We could never say no to Mubarak when we were young, but our young people today proved that they can say no, and I’m here to support them,” said Yusra Mahmoud, a 46-year-old school principal who said she had been sleeping in the square alongside other protesters for the past two nights.
Authorities shut down all roads and public transportation to Cairo and in and out of other main cities, security officials said. Train services nationwide were suspended for a second day and all bus services between cities were halted.
Still, many from the provinces managed to make it to the square. Hamada Massoud, a 32-year-old lawyer, said he and 50 others came in cars and minibuses from the impoverished province of Beni Sweif south of Cairo.

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Egypt’s transition must begin now, says Obama

 

Published: Feb 2, 2011 11:31 Updated: Feb 2, 2011 12:09

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama challenged Egypt’s embattled ruler, a staunch US ally, to immediately begin the process of transitioning the country to new leadership, a signal that there should be no drawn-out goodbye.

Earlier Tuesday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had announced he would not seek another term in office but also would not yield to growing demands to step down now. After a huddle at the White House, Obama went on television to respond.
In his brief statement at the White House, Obama invoked Egypt’s ancient and storied past in what appeared to be an appeal to Mubarak’s desire to be remembered well in history as a powerful leader and peacemaker. He said he had spoken to Mubarak to press his case for 30 minutes shortly after Mubarak addressed the Egyptian people.
“He recognizes that the status quo is not sustainable and that a change must take place,” Obama said of Mubarak.
“Indeed, all of us who are privileged to serve in positions of political power do so at the will of our people.” “Through thousands of years, Egypt has known many moments of transformation; the voices of the Egyptian people tell us that this is one of the moments, this is one of those times,” Obama said. He added that the United States heard those voices demanding change as anti-government protests filled the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities.
Mubarak delivered his speech after hearing from a special envoy, former US ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner, whom Obama dispatched to Cairo on Monday. Wisner’s message: The US saw his tenure at an end, didn’t want him to stand for re-election in September and wanted him to prepare an orderly transition to real democracy.
“It is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now,” Obama said he had told Mubarak in the phone call.
That suggested Mubarak’s concession was not enough, but Obama left the point dangling. He was careful not to say that Mubarak should have left immediately, and he stressed that it was not up to the United States to pick Egypt’s leaders.
“Furthermore, the process must include a broad spectrum of Egyptian voices and opposition parties,” he said. “It should lead to elections that are free and fair. And, it should result in a government that is not only grounded in democratic principles but is also responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people.”
An administration official said Obama delivered the same message to Mubarak in their “direct and frank” phone call. Obama “said it was clear how much he loves his country, and how difficult this is for him. President Obama also explained to him that an orderly transition can’t be prolonged — it must begin now,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private conversation.
Obama praised the “passion and dignity” of the protesters who have rallied for Mubarak’s departure as an “inspiration” to people around the world, and he hailed the Egyptian military for its poise in handling the situation.
“To the people of Egypt, particularly the young people of Egypt, I want to be clear: We hear your voices,” Obama said. “I have an unyielding belief that you will determine your own destiny and seize the promise of a better future for your children and grandchildren.”
In a half-way concession to hundreds of thousands of protesters, Mubarak said in Egypt that he would serve out the rest of his term working to ensure a “peaceful transfer of power” and new rules on presidential elections. His message that he would not immediately leave was rebuffed by many demonstrators in Cairo’s main square.

Darker clouds ahead
Obama warned there would be “difficult days ahead” in Egypt as the situation develops and appealed for calm.
Tuesday’s developments signaled that after a week of balancing support for protesters and for America’s close ally of three decades, the administration had decided that long-term backing for the Egyptian president was no longer tenable.
They also coincided with a greater outreach to opposition figures, most notably opening talks with a possible Mubarak successor, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, a former Egyptian diplomat and chief of the UN nuclear watchdog.
Officials said that in his conversation with Mubarak, Wisner did not demand that the president step down immediately but rather accept that he was nearing the end of his three-decade grip on power and not try to extend it.
Wisner was instructed to use a “light touch” in conveying Obama’s message, one official said.
Wisner and Mubarak are friends, and the officials said the two had a back-and-forth discussion in which each provided the other with his perspective on developments.

No more credibility
The officials said Obama was keenly aware of Mubarak’s need to save face and make a graceful exit, acknowledging that the Egyptian leader has been a staunch ally and a major player in all Middle East peace efforts over the past 30 years. The administration hopes that other Arab allies will appreciate that approach, the officials said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to describe the behind-the-scenes diplomacy on the record.
On Capitol Hill, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy said Mubarak must leave sooner than he plans because his government “has no credibility” to oversee a process toward democracy.
“His continued role in Egypt’s transition is unrealistic,” said Leahy, who sits on a Senate panel that oversees US foreign aid, including some $1.5 billion per year that Egypt receives.
Meanwhile, the escalating anti-government protests led the State Department to order non-essential American personnel and their families to leave the country.
The department said it had flown about 1,600 Americans out of Egypt since Monday. It said Americans were struggling to reach Cairo’s airport because roads were closed as a result of demonstrations. Some 60 US citizens were expected to be flown out late Tuesday, with an additional 1,000 likely to be evacuated in coming days.
The Cairo airport is open and operating but the department warned that flights may be disrupted and that people should be prepared for lengthy waits. On Tuesday, it added Frankfurt, Germany, as a destination and the Egyptian cities of Aswan and Luxor as departure points.

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Pro- and anti-government supporters clash in Cairo

CAIRO – Hundreds of pro-government supporters
attacked protesters Wednesday in Cairo's central square, where thousands were pushing ahead with demonstrations demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.
Mubarak supporters were out in the streets for the first time Wednesday in large numbers, with thousands demanding an end to the anti-government movement a day after the president went on national television and rejected demands for him to step down.
Those calling for Mubarak to go have been out in Cairo and many other cities for more than a week, and they drew by far their largest crowd on Tuesday when at least a quarter million packed the central Tahrir Square and the downtown area around it. Hundreds of thousands more have turned out in other cities across this nation of 80 million.
By early afternoon, an Associated Press reporter saw Mubarak supporters break through a human chain of anti-government protesters trying to defend thousands gathered in Tahrir. They tore down banners denouncing the president and fistfights broke out as they advanced across the massive square in the heart of the capital. A number of those involved were injured and some were bleeding from their heads.
The anti-government protesters grabbed Mubarak posters from the hands of the supporters and ripped them.
The confrontations began just hours after a military spokesman went on national television and asked the protesters to disperse so life in Egypt could go back to normal. During the clashes, soldiers and tanks who have been guarding the square did not appear to intervene.
Almost immediately after Mubarak announced late Tuesday night that he would serve out the remaining seven months of his term and would not leave the country, groups of Mubarak supporters rarely seen before in the week of anti-government protests took to the streets, some carrying knives and sticks.
In Alexandria, clashes erupted right after Mubarak's address between the two sides.

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