Egypt Revolution Developments
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Mubarak reportedly flees to Sharm as riots overtake Cairo
Egyptian president declares that he will not resign in face of demonstrations.
By Haaretz Service
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak may have fled to his home in Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday as flames and riots engulfed the capital city of Cairo, according to world media reports.
Mubarak's two sons, Gamal and Ala, arrived in London late Saturday as the clashes in their home country continued. The Egyptian president's wife joined them a few hours later.On Saturday, the 82-year-old Mubarak bowed to protesters and named a vice-president for the first time, a move seen as lining up Omar Suleiman, hitherto his chief of intelligence, as an eventual successor, at least for a transition. Many also saw it as ending his son Gamal's long-surmised ambitions to take over.
Addressing his country on Saturday for the fist time since the riots began, however, Mubarak declared that he had no intention to deed demand for him to resign.
In five days of unprecedented protests that have rocked the Arab world, more than 100 people have been killed.
Egypt Protests Show American Foreign-Policy Folly
While popular uprisings erupt across the Middle East, America stands on the sidelines. Stephen Kinzer on why the U.S. should abandon its self-defeating strategy in the region.
From left: AFP-Getty Images; Thaer Ganaim / PPO-Getty Images; Sean Gallup / Getty Images
Leading figures in U.S.–Mideast policy (from left): Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
One afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I walked into the British Foreign Office for a meeting with Middle East policy planners. "Tunisia is melting down and the Lebanese government has just fallen," my host said as he welcomed me. "Interesting times."
During our meeting, one veteran British diplomat observed that since American policy toward the Middle East is frozen into immobility, change there comes only when there is a crisis. I asked where he thought the next crisis might erupt. "Egypt," he replied.
Events have moved quickly since then President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia has been overthrown, Hezbollah has chosen the new prime minister of Lebanon and thousands have taken to the streets in Egypt to demand an end to Hosni Mubarak's 30-year dictatorship. The Middle East is erupting—and the U.S. is watching from the sidelines. Unable to guide the course of events, it can do little more than cheer for its sclerotic allies and hope that popular anger does not sweep them aside.
Washington sees the various local and national conflicts in the Middle East as part of a battle for regional hegemony between the U.S. and Iran. If this is true, the U.S. is losing. That is because it has stubbornly held onto Middle East policies that were shaped for the Cold War. The security environment in the region has changed dramatically since then. Iran has shown itself agile enough to align itself with rising new forces that enjoy the support of millions. The U.S., meanwhile, remains allied with countries and forces that looked strong 30 or 40 years ago but no longer are.
Iran is betting on Hizbullah, Hamas, and Shiite parties in Iraq. These are popular forces that win elections. Hizbullah emerged as the heroic champion of resistance to Israel's 2006 invasion of Lebanon, winning the admiration of Arabs, not only for itself but also for its Iranian backers. Many Arabs also admire Hamas for its refusal to bow to Israeli power in Gaza.
Pro-Iran forces have also scored major gains in Iraq. They effectively control the Iraqi government, and their most incendiary leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, recently returned to a hero's welcome after an extended stay in Iran. By invading Iraq in 2003, and removing Saddam Hussein from power, the U.S. handed Iraq to Iran on a platter. Now Iran is completing the consolidation of its position in Baghdad.
Whom does America bet on to counter these rising forces? The same friends it has been betting on for decades: Mubarak's pharaonic regime in Egypt, Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority, the Saudi monarchy, and increasingly radical politicians in Israel. It is no wonder that Iran's power is rising as the American-imposed order begins to crumble.
The U.S. keeps Mubarak in power—it gave his regime $1.5 billion in aid last year—mainly because he supports America's pro-Israel policies, especially by helping Israel maintain its stranglehold on Gaza. It supports Abbas for the same reason: he is seen as willing to compromise with Israel, and therefore a desirable negotiating partner. This was confirmed, to Abbas's great embarrassment, by WikiLeaks cables that show how eager he has been to meet Israeli demands, even collaborating with Israeli security forces to arrest Palestinians he dislikes. American support for Mubarak and Abbas continues, although neither man is in power with any figment of legality; Mubarak brazenly stage-manages elections, and Abbas has ruled by decree since his term of office expired in 2009.
Intimacy with the Saudi royal family is another old habit the U.S. cannot seem to kick—even though American leaders know full well, as one of the WikiLeaks cables confirms, that "Saudi donors remain the chief financiers of Sunni militant groups like al-Qaeda." The fact that the Tunisian leader fled to Saudi Arabia after being overthrown shows how fully the Saudis support the old, eroding Middle East order.
As for Israel itself, it will lose much if new Arab leaders emerge who refuse to be their silent partners. Yet Israel clings to the belief that it will be able to guarantee its long-term security with weapons alone. The U.S. encourages it in this view, sending Israelis the message that no matter how militant their rejectionist policies become, they can count on Washington's endless support.
The U.S. has long sought to block democracy in the Arab world, fearing that it would lead to the emergence of Islamist regimes. Remarkably, however, the Tunisian revolution does not seem to be heading that way, nor have Islamist leaders tried to guide protests in Egypt. Perhaps watching the intensifying repression imposed by mullahs in Iran has led many Muslims to rethink the value of propelling clerics to power.
Even if democratic regimes in the Middle East are not fundamentalist, however, they will firmly oppose U.S. policy toward Israel. The intimate U.S.-Israel relationship guarantees that many Muslims around the world will continue to see the U.S. as an enabler of evil. Despite America's sins in the Middle East, however, many Muslims still admire the U.S. They see its leaders as profoundly mistaken in their unconditional support of Israel, but envy what the U.S. has accomplished and want some version of American freedom and prosperity for themselves. This suggests that it is not too late for the U.S. to reset its policy toward the region in ways that would take new realities into account.
Accepting that Arabs have the right to elect their own leaders means accepting the rise of governments that do not share America's pro-Israel militancy. This is the dilemma Washington now faces. Never has it been clearer that the U.S. needs to reassess its long-term Middle East strategy. It needs new approaches and new partners. Listening more closely to Turkey, the closest U.S. ally in the Muslim Middle East, would be a good start. A wise second step would be a reversal of policy toward Iran, from confrontation to a genuine search for compromise. Yet pathologies in American politics, fed by emotions that prevent cool assessment of national interest, continue to paralyze the U.S. diplomatic imagination. Even this month's eruptions may not be enough to rouse Washington from its self-defeating slumber.
Egypt protests: America's secret backing for rebel leaders behind uprising
The American government secretly backed leading figures behind the Egyptian uprising who have been planning "regime change" for the past three years, The Daily Telegraph has learned.
The American Embassy in Cairo helped a young dissident attend a US-sponsored summit for activists in New York, while working to keep his identity secret from Egyptian state police.
On his return to Cairo in December 2008, the activist told US diplomats that an alliance of opposition groups had drawn up a plan to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak and install a democratic government in 2011.
The secret document in full
He has already been arrested by Egyptian security in connection with the demonstrations and his identity is being protected by The Daily Telegraph.
The crisis in Egypt follows the toppling of Tunisian president Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, who fled the country after widespread protests forced him from office.
The disclosures, contained in previously secret US diplomatic dispatches released by the WikiLeaks website, show American officials pressed the Egyptian government to release other dissidents who had been detained by the police.
Mr Mubarak, facing the biggest challenge to his authority in his 31 years in power, ordered the army on to the streets of Cairo yesterday as rioting erupted across Egypt.
Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets in open defiance of a curfew. An explosion rocked the centre of Cairo as thousands defied orders to return to their homes. As the violence escalated, flames could be seen near the headquarters of the governing National Democratic Party.
Police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas and water cannon in an attempt to disperse the crowds.
At least five people were killed in Cairo alone yesterday and 870 injured, several with bullet wounds. Mohamed ElBaradei, the pro-reform leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was placed under house arrest after returning to Egypt to join the dissidents. Riots also took place in Suez, Alexandria and other major cities across the country.
William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, urged the Egyptian government to heed the "legitimate demands of protesters". Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said she was "deeply concerned about the use of force" to quell the protests.
In an interview for the American news channel CNN, to be broadcast tomorrow, David Cameron said: "I think what we need is reform in Egypt. I mean, we support reform and progress in the greater strengthening of the democracy and civil rights and the rule of law."
The US government has previously been a supporter of Mr Mubarak's regime. But the leaked documents show the extent to which America was offering support to pro-democracy activists in Egypt while publicly praising Mr Mubarak as an important ally in the Middle East.
In a secret diplomatic dispatch, sent on December 30 2008, Margaret Scobey, the US Ambassador to Cairo, recorded that opposition groups had allegedly drawn up secret plans for "regime change" to take place before elections, scheduled for September this year.
The memo, which Ambassador Scobey sent to the US Secretary of State in Washington DC, was marked "confidential" and headed: "April 6 activist on his US visit and regime change in Egypt."
It said the activist claimed "several opposition forces" had "agreed to support an unwritten plan for a transition to a parliamentary democracy, involving a weakened presidency and an empowered prime minister and parliament, before the scheduled 2011 presidential elections". The embassy's source said the plan was "so sensitive it cannot be written down".
Ambassador Scobey questioned whether such an "unrealistic" plot could work, or ever even existed. However, the documents showed that the activist had been approached by US diplomats and received extensive support for his pro-democracy campaign from officials in Washington. The embassy helped the campaigner attend a "summit" for youth activists in New York, which was organised by the US State Department.
Cairo embassy officials warned Washington that the activist's identity must be kept secret because he could face "retribution" when he returned to Egypt. He had already allegedly been tortured for three days by Egyptian state security after he was arrested for taking part in a protest some years earlier.
The protests in Egypt are being driven by the April 6 youth movement, a group on Facebook that has attracted mainly young and educated members opposed to Mr Mubarak. The group has about 70,000 members and uses social networking sites to orchestrate protests and report on their activities.
The documents released by WikiLeaks reveal US Embassy officials were in regular contact with the activist throughout 2008 and 2009, considering him one of their most reliable sources for information about human rights abuses.
Robert Fisk: Egypt: Death throes of a dictatorship
Our writer joins protesters atop a Cairo tank as the army shows signs of backing the people against Mubarak's regime
The Egyptian tanks, the delirious protesters sitting atop them, the flags, the 40,000 protesters weeping and crying and cheering in Freedom Square and praying around them, the Muslim Brotherhood official sitting amid the tank passengers. Should this be compared to the liberation of Bucharest? Climbing on to an American-made battle tank myself, I could only remember those wonderful films of the liberation of Paris. A few hundred metres away, Hosni Mubarak's black-uniformed security police were still firing at demonstrators near the interior ministry. It was a wild, historical victory celebration, Mubarak's own tanks freeing his capital from his own dictatorship.
In the pantomime world of Mubarak himself – and of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Washington – the man who still claims to be president of Egypt swore in the most preposterous choice of vice-president in an attempt to soften the fury of the protesters – Omar Suleiman, Egypt's chief negotiator with Israel and his senior intelligence officer, a 75-year-old with years of visits to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and four heart attacks to his credit. How this elderly apparatchik might be expected to deal with the anger and joy of liberation of 80 million Egyptians is beyond imagination. When I told the demonstrators on the tank around me the news of Suleiman's appointment, they burst into laughter.
Their crews, in battledress and smiling and in some cases clapping their hands, made no attempt to wipe off the graffiti that the crowds had spray-painted on their tanks. "Mubarak Out – Get Out", and "Your regime is over, Mubarak" have now been plastered on almost every Egyptian tank on the streets of Cairo. On one of the tanks circling Freedom Square was a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Beltagi. Earlier, I had walked beside a convoy of tanks near the suburb of Garden City as crowds scrambled on to the machines to hand oranges to the crews, applauding them as Egyptian patriots. However crazed Mubarak's choice of vice-president and his gradual appointment of a powerless new government of cronies, the streets of Cairo proved what the United States and EU leaders have simply failed to grasp. It is over.
Mubarak's feeble attempts to claim that he must end violence on behalf of the Egyptian people – when his own security police have been responsible for most of the cruelty of the past five days – has elicited even further fury from those who have spent 30 years under his sometimes vicious dictatorship. For there are growing suspicions that much of the looting and arson was carried out by plainclothes cops – including the murder of 11 men in a rural village in the past 24 hours – in an attempt to destroy the integrity of the protesters campaigning to throw Mubarak out of power. The destruction of a number of communications centres by masked men – which must have been co-ordinated by some form of institution – has also raised suspicions that the plainclothes thugs who beat many of the demonstrators were to blame.
But the torching of police stations across Cairo and in Alexandria and Suez and other cities was obviously not carried out by plainclothes cops. Late on Friday, driving to Cairo 40 miles down the Alexandria highway, crowds of young men had lit fires across the highway and, when cars slowed down, demanded hundreds of dollars in cash. Yesterday morning, armed men were stealing cars from their owners in the centre of Cairo.
Infinitely more terrible was the vandalism at the Egyptian National Museum. After police abandoned this greatest of ancient treasuries, looters broke into the red-painted building and smashed 4,000-year-old pharaonic statues, Egyptian mummies and magnificent wooden boats, originally carved – complete with their miniature crews – to accompany kings to their graves. Glass cases containing priceless figurines were bashed in, the black-painted soldiers inside pushed over. Again, it must be added that there were rumours before the discovery that police caused this vandalism before they fled the museum on Friday night. Ghastly shades of the Baghdad museum in 2003. It wasn't as bad as that looting, but it was a most awful archeological disaster.
In my night journey from 6th October City to the capital, I had to slow down when darkened vehicles loomed out of the darkness. They were smashed, glass scattered across the road, slovenly policemen pointing rifles at my headlights. One jeep was half burned out. They were the wreckage of the anti-riot police force which the protesters forced out of Cairo on Friday. Those same demonstrators last night formed a massive circle around Freedom Square to pray, "Allah Alakbar" thundering into the night air over the city.
And there are also calls for revenge. An al-Jazeera television crew found 23 bodies in the Alexandria mortuary, apparently shot by the police. Several had horrifically mutilated faces. Eleven more bodies were discovered in a Cairo mortuary, relatives gathering around their bloody remains and screaming for retaliation against the police.
Cairo now changes from joy to sullen anger within minutes. Yesterday morning, I walked across the Nile river bridge to watch the ruins of Mubarak's 15-storey party headquarters burn. In front stood a vast poster advertising the benefits of the party – pictures of successful graduates, doctors and full employment, the promises which Mubarak's party had failed to deliver in 30 years – outlined by the golden fires curling from the blackened windows of the party headquarters. Thousands of Egyptians stood on the river bridge and on the motorway flyovers to take pictures of the fiercely burning building – and of the middle-aged looters still stealing chairs and desks from inside.
Yet the moment a Danish television team arrived to film exactly the same scenes, they were berated by scores of people who said that they had no right to film the fires, insisting that Egyptians were proud people who would never steal or commit arson. This was to become a theme during the day: that reporters had no right to report anything about this "liberation" that might reflect badly upon it. Yet they were still remarkably friendly and – despite Obama's pusillanimous statements on Friday night – there was not the slightest manifestation of hostility against the United States. "All we want – all – is Mubarak's departure and new elections and our freedom and honour," a 30-year-old psychiatrist told me. Behind her, crowds of young men were clearing up broken crash barriers and road intersection fences from the street – an ironic reflection on the well-known Cairo adage that Egyptians will never, ever clean their roads.
Mubarak's allegation that these demonstrations and arson – this combination was a theme of his speech refusing to leave Egypt – were part of a "sinister plan" is clearly at the centre of his claim to continued world recognition. Indeed, Obama's own response – about the need for reforms and an end to such violence – was an exact copy of all the lies Mubarak has been using to defend his regime for three decades. It was deeply amusing to Egyptians that Obama – in Cairo itself, after his election – had urged Arabs to grasp freedom and democracy. These aspirations disappeared entirely when he gave his tacit if uncomfortable support to the Egyptian president on Friday. The problem is the usual one: the lines of power and the lines of morality in Washington fail to intersect when US presidents have to deal with the Middle East. Moral leadership in America ceases to exist when the Arab and Israeli worlds have to be confronted.
And the Egyptian army is, needless to say, part of this equation. It receives much of the $1.3bn of annual aid from Washington. The commander of that army, General Tantawi – who just happened to be in Washington when the police tried to crush the demonstrators – has always been a very close personal friend of Mubarak. Not a good omen, perhaps, for the immediate future.
So the "liberation" of Cairo – where, grimly, there came news last night of the looting of the Qasr al-Aini hospital – has yet to run its full course. The end may be clear. The tragedy is not over.
Like Robert Fisk on The Independent on Facebook for updates
Opposition Rallies to ElBaradei as Military Reinforces in Cairo
CAIRO — The Egyptian uprising, which emerged as a disparate and spontaneous grass-roots movement, began to coalesce Sunday, as the largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, threw its support behind a leading secular opposition figure, Mohamed ElBaradei, to negotiate on behalf of the forces seeking the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.
As the army struggled to hold a capital seized by fears of chaos and buoyed by euphoria that three decades of Mr. Mubarak's rule may be coming to an end, the new alliance reconfigured the struggle between the government and the six-day-old uprising. Though lacking deep support on his own, Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel laureate, could serve as consensus figure for a movement that has struggled to articulate a program for a potential transition.
In scenes as tumultuous as any since the uprising began, Mr. ElBaradei defied a government curfew and joined thousands of protesters in Liberation Square, a downtown landmark that has become the center of the uprising and a platform for the frustrations, ambitions and resurgent pride of a generation claiming the country's mantle.
"Today we are proud of Egyptians," Mr. ElBaradei told throngs who surged toward him in a square festooned with banners calling for Mr. Mubarak's fall. "We have restored our rights, restored our freedom and what have begun cannot be reversed."
Mr. ElBaradei declared it a "new era," and there were few in Egypt who would disagree. More than at any point since the uprising began, the turmoil on Sunday seemed perched between two deepening narratives: a vision of impending anarchy offered by the government, and echoed by Egyptians fearing chaos, against the perspective of protesters and many others that the uprising had become, as they described it in a list of demands posted in Liberation Square on Sunday, "a popular revolution."
The military, the country's most powerful institution and which is embedded deeply in all aspects of life here, reinforced parts of the capital, gathering as many as 100 tanks and armored carriers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the site where President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981, bringing Mr. Mubarak to power.
But the army took no steps against the protesters, who cheered as the helicopters and fighter jets passed overhead. In an unprecedented scene, some of them lofted a captain in uniform on their shoulders, marching him through a square suffused with protesters that cut across Egypt's entrenched lines of class and religious devotion.
In contrast, the movements of the police force, despised by many here as the symbol of the humiliations of Mr. Mubarak's government, was being watched for signs of a crackdown.
The police had withdrawn from major cities on Saturday, allowing a stunning collapse of authority that gave free rein to gangs who stole and burned cars, looted shops and ransacked a fashionable mall, where dismembered mannequins for conservative Islamic dress were strewn over broken glass and puddles of water.
Thousands of inmates poured out of four prisons, including the country's most notorious, Abu Zaabal and Wadi Natroun, and checkpoints run by the military and neighborhood groups proliferated across Cairo and other cities, sometimes spaced just a block apart, in a bid to restore order.
Many have darkly suggested that the government was behind the collapse of authority as a way to justify a crackdown or discredit protesters' calls for change.
"We're worried about the chaos, sure," said Selma al-Tarzi, a 33-year-old film director who had her joined friends in Liberation Square. "But everyone is aware the chaos is generated by the government. The revolution is not generating the chaos."
Still, driven by reports of looting, prison breaks and rumors that swirled across Cairo, fed by Egyptian television's unrelenting coverage of lawlessness, it was clear that many feared the menace could grow worse, and might even undermine the protesters' demands.
"I wish we could be like the United States with our own democracy, but we can't," said Sarah Elyashy, a 33-year-old woman in the neighborhood of Heliopolis, where men armed with broomsticks and kitchen knives took to the streets to defend their homes against the threat of looters. "We have to have a ruler with an iron hand."
In a potentially decisive move, the Interior Ministry announced it would redeploy the police across the country on Monday, except for Liberation Square.
The protest movement has had no official leader or organization, and it was not clear on Sunday to what extent or for how long Mr. ElBaradei would be able to provide it. But the crowds in the square responded enthusiastically when he spoke through a bullhorn there shortly after dark.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which had cautiously watched the first days of the protest from the sidelines, appeared to be taking an active role by the weekend. On Sunday, the group said it would support Mr. ElBaradei to negotiate on behalf of the protesters.
"We're supporting ElBaradei leading the path to change," said Mohammed el-Beltagui, a Brotherhood leader and former member of Parliament. "The Brotherhood realizes the sensitivities, especially in the West, toward the Islamists. And we are keen not to be at the forefront at this time."
The Egyptian government was largely silent throughout the day, and did not publicly respond to the developments.
On Saturday, Mr. Mubarak appointed Omar Suleiman, his right-hand man and the country's intelligence chief, as vice president, stirring speculation that he might be planning to resign. His appointment, and that of another former general, Ahmed Shafik, as prime minister, also signaled the pivotal role the armed forces could play in shaping the outcome of the unrest and perhaps in deciding who might rule next.
The unpredictability of that shift factored into President Obama's calculus not to push for Mr. Mubarak's resignation, at least for now. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hewed to that position on Sunday, calling for "an orderly transition to meet the democratic and economic needs of the people" but stopping short of suggesting that Mr. Mubarak resign.
She said that Mr. Mubarak's appointment of a vice president was only the "bare beginning" of a process that must include dialogue with the protesters and "free, fair, and credible" elections.
France, Britain and Germany issued a joint statement urging Mr. Mubarak and the protesters to show restraint. But, like President Obama, they did not call for the ouster of an autocratic leader who has cast himself as a lynchpin of Western diplomatic and security interests in the Middle East.
Interior Ministry officials said the prisoners had escaped from four prisons, including two of the country's most notorious, Abu Zaabal and Wadi Natroun.
For two days, clashes had raged at Abu Zaabal, a prison north of Cairo, and officials said police had killed at least 12 inmates. There were scenes of chaos Sunday as scores of people entered and left the prison's main gate, which no longer appeared to be under the government's control. Although two tanks were parked a few hundred yards away, the soldiers refused to intervene in the mayhem.
The Muslim Brotherhood said 34 of its members walked out of Wadi Natroun prison after guards abandoned their posts. All 34 had been arrested before dawn Friday, the biggest day of the protests.
"The prisoners themselves freed us from the gang who kidnapped us, this government that has become a gang," said Essam al-Iryan, one of the leaders.
In Alexandria, the Brotherhood was one of the main groups that has stepped in to fill the absence of authority. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood wielded baseball bats at checkpoints and brooms in the streets, but said it was a community effort and not a political one.
"There are people who have nothing to do with us who are helping," said Salah Medin, 55, a local Brotherhood leader in the Alexandria neighborhood of Agamy. "We are trying to do this together."
The United States said it was organizing flights to evacuate its citizens, urging all Americans in Egypt to "consider leaving as soon as they can safely do so" and underlining a deep sense of pessimism among Egypt's allies over Mr. Mubarak's fate.
In a statement, the American Embassy here said it was telling "U.S. citizens in Egypt who wish to depart that the Department of State is making arrangements to provide transportation to safe haven locations in Europe." Thousands of Americans reside in the country, whose antiquities make it one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.
Turkey, a major power in the region, also said it was sending three flights to evacuate 750 of its citizens from Cairo and Alexandria.
Israel flew back the spouses and children of its envoys in Egypt on Saturday, as well as about 40 Israeli citizens who were in Egypt on private business, and who wished to return.
In several parts of Cairo, the military reinforced its positions, with detachments deployed at key bridges, intersections, ministries and other government installations. Across the capital, youths and some older men guarded their own neighborhoods, sometimes posting themselves at each block and alley. Several said they were in contact with the military, as well as with each other, and many residents expressed pride in the success that they had in securing their property from the threat of looters and thieves.
The sentiments captured what has become a powerful theme these days in Cairo: that Egyptians again were taking control of their destiny.
"We know each other, we stand by each other and people respect what we're doing," said Ramadan Farghal, who headed one self-defense group in the poorer neighborhood of Bassateen. "This is the Egyptian people. We used to be one hand."
He said about 10 youths from each building, 400 in all, were rotating in eight-hour shifts to man the barricades and street entrances. They were helped by a few leftovers from deserted units of policemen, in plain clothes. "The good ones," he said.
State television said Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite broadcaster with the broadest coverage of the turmoil in the Arab world, was being taken off the air in Egypt. Only hours earlier, the channel proclaimed as its headline: "Egypt speaks for itself."
State television offered a far different message, broadcasting a drumbeat of reports of trouble inspired by "bultagiyya," or thugs, and intensive coverage of the prison breaks. Internet connections remained cut for the third day on Sunday, though text messaging had been mostly restored.
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Military supporting Mubarak? Actually, you can see the soldiers tossing their uniforms and stuff and backing people instead. The thing is, soldiers know that they cannot afford to back a president that has already lost public support. Any revolution that happens on earth is because of popular support. Never based on one man leadership. So the soldiers feel that they are safer supporting people who will retain their respect for the Egyptian army.
It just takes one idea to change regimes mate. People's government is coming up in dictator-ridden middle east. Because of 1 Tunisia, the whole region is on fire.
- Egypt has fallen now
- Saudi sheikhs have wet their gowns
- China has blocked anything to do with Egypt (This is epic..
)I am beginning to think that even Iran might be blocking this off since their people are pretty fed up of Iranian regime who is a fundamentalist version of Communists (claiming they are for people, but they are more for their mulla elite).
This is basically an inspiration for people of tyrannical countries and hence the boil.
Any movement that doesn't have people's support, becomes categorized as terrorism (Maoists, jihadists etc).
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China's reaction:
It appears that the social networking sites are capable of 'encouraging' or 'subverting' people. Therefore, such sites can upset the orderly and disciplined approach to governance of a country.
It is thus not surprising that access to Egypt news has been curtailed in China.
If seen from the Chinese Govt's standpoint, it can ill afford to have any unrest in their country right now, since they are pursuing single mindedly the ascent in all spheres in the world. Disruptive assemblies like the Tienanmen incidents would do China's progress no good. Therefore, their action, from their standpoint, is correct.
It is matter of concern that these sites can create havoc in ALL countries, since in every country there are problems and interest groups operating.
In India, there are many foreign interest groups including NGOs.
One must be careful of the negative influences of these social networking sites.
amoy
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No it's not true. Chinese are well informed of what's going on in Egypt. There're lots of in-depth analysis/discussions on line on its impacts on Arab World, the US, Israel and of course China's interest over there.
Egypt has been one of top receiver of the US aids in the region (the US has a lot of such 'non-democratic' allies pragmatically). And it's also China's big trading partner + arms importer.
Possibly u have already had a presumption in mind - Beijing is afraid of 'havoc' or inspiration for uprisings in a "totalitarian" state. Then u quote from some sources that reinforce your assumption.
Chinese are now mature and discreet enough
China sends plane to evacuate tourists from Egypt
2011-01-31 16:10:05　
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Shanghiaist speaks of the internet.
Do give some link of the indepth analysis undertaken in China on the Egypt protest, even if they are in Chinese.
CNTV video is below:
http://english.cntv.cn/program/newshour/20110131/107450.shtml
Any Chinese video showing the Egyptian riots?
If you read my post in its entirety, you will realise that my presumption that you allude to, is that the social networking stuff is not conducive to stable governance of ANY country since EVERY country has problems that can be EXPLOITED by VESTED interests. It is not China centric!
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SHASH2K2
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Egypt protesters vow to step up pressure
Tens of thousands have gathered in central Cairo for a seventh day of protest, calling for a general strike.
Police have been ordered back to the streets, to positions they abandoned on Friday, but it is not clear whether they are returning to central Cairo.
The demonstrators are also planning a huge march to take place on Tuesday.
Protesters want President Hosni Mubarak to step down after 30 years in power. He has promised political reform and has now announced a new cabinet.
The state TV announcement said Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, who correspondents say is widely despised by protesters, had been replaced.
The president has ordered his new Prime Minister, Ahmed Shafiq, to push through democratic reforms and create new jobs.
Correspondents say all the signs continue to suggest that the only change the protesters will settle for is Mr Mubarak's removal from office.
Meanwhile, Moodys Investor Services has downgraded Egypt's bond rating and changed its outlook from stable to negative, following a similar move by Fitch Ratings last week. Both cited the political crisis.
'Protest of millions'
But there were signs of disagreement within the opposition, with the largest group, the Muslim Brotherhood, appearing to go back on its endorsement of leading figure Mohamed ElBaradei as a negotiator with Mr Mubarak.
As demonstrations enter their seventh day, correspondents say there are at least 50,000 people on Tahrir Square in the centre of the city.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Cairo says the military, who have cordoned off the square with tanks, are very relaxed and letting people come and go.
Elsewhere the streets are busy and things appear to be returning to normal, with some police returning and seen directing traffic.
But there are no riot police, and our correspondent says the government is being quite clever in keeping the unpopular police force out of contact with the protesters.
There are plans for a "protest of the millions" march on Tuesday.
Our correspondent says this is an attempt to reinvigorate the movement, as many are wondering what to do next if Mr Mubarak stays in power, as he is showing every sign of doing.
Mr ElBaradei has been mandated by opposition groups to negotiate with the regime.
But a spokesman for the largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, appeared to reject this position.
"The people have not appointed Mohamed ElBaradei to become a spokesman of them," Mohamed Morsy told the BBC.
"The Muslim Brotherhood is much stronger than Mohamed ElBaradei as a person. And we do not agree on he himself to become representing [sic] this movement, the movement is represented by itself, and it will come up with a committee... to make delegations with any government."
Thousands have rallied in Alexandria, and there have also been sizeable demonstrations in Mansoura, Damanhour and Suez.
Economic impact
The unrest is having an impact on the Egyptian economy, beyond the closure of shops and businesses and the call for a general strike.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12320959#story_continues_3
Many countries including the US, China and the Netherlands are evacuating their citizens, leading to chaotic scenes at Cairo airport as air traffic becomes congested and flights are cancelled or delayed.
Tourism is a vital sector in the Egyptian economy, accounting for about 5-6% of GDP.
International pressure is growing for some kind of resolution.
In the strongest language yet, both US President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about the need for an "orderly transition" to a democratic future for Egypt.
The White House says Mr Obama made a number of calls about the situation over the weekend to foreign leaders including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
The protests in Egypt are top of the agenda of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.
The unrest in Egypt follows the uprising in Tunisia which ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali two weeks ago after 23 years in power.
Protesters are refusing to go until President Mubarak steps down
Tens of thousands have gathered in central Cairo for a seventh day of protest, calling for a general strike.
Police have been ordered back to the streets, to positions they abandoned on Friday, but it is not clear whether they are returning to central Cairo.
The demonstrators are also planning a huge march to take place on Tuesday.
Protesters want President Hosni Mubarak to step down after 30 years in power. He has promised political reform and has now announced a new cabinet.
The state TV announcement said Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, who correspondents say is widely despised by protesters, had been replaced.
The president has ordered his new Prime Minister, Ahmed Shafiq, to push through democratic reforms and create new jobs.
Correspondents say all the signs continue to suggest that the only change the protesters will settle for is Mr Mubarak's removal from office.
Meanwhile, Moodys Investor Services has downgraded Egypt's bond rating and changed its outlook from stable to negative, following a similar move by Fitch Ratings last week. Both cited the political crisis.
'Protest of millions'
But there were signs of disagreement within the opposition, with the largest group, the Muslim Brotherhood, appearing to go back on its endorsement of leading figure Mohamed ElBaradei as a negotiator with Mr Mubarak.
As demonstrations enter their seventh day, correspondents say there are at least 50,000 people on Tahrir Square in the centre of the city.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Cairo says the military, who have cordoned off the square with tanks, are very relaxed and letting people come and go.
Elsewhere the streets are busy and things appear to be returning to normal, with some police returning and seen directing traffic.
But there are no riot police, and our correspondent says the government is being quite clever in keeping the unpopular police force out of contact with the protesters.
There are plans for a "protest of the millions" march on Tuesday.
Our correspondent says this is an attempt to reinvigorate the movement, as many are wondering what to do next if Mr Mubarak stays in power, as he is showing every sign of doing.
Mr ElBaradei has been mandated by opposition groups to negotiate with the regime.
But a spokesman for the largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, appeared to reject this position.
"The people have not appointed Mohamed ElBaradei to become a spokesman of them," Mohamed Morsy told the BBC.
"The Muslim Brotherhood is much stronger than Mohamed ElBaradei as a person. And we do not agree on he himself to become representing [sic] this movement, the movement is represented by itself, and it will come up with a committee... to make delegations with any government."
Thousands have rallied in Alexandria, and there have also been sizeable demonstrations in Mansoura, Damanhour and Suez.
Economic impact
The unrest is having an impact on the Egyptian economy, beyond the closure of shops and businesses and the call for a general strike.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12320959#story_continues_3
Many countries including the US, China and the Netherlands are evacuating their citizens, leading to chaotic scenes at Cairo airport as air traffic becomes congested and flights are cancelled or delayed.
Tourism is a vital sector in the Egyptian economy, accounting for about 5-6% of GDP.
International pressure is growing for some kind of resolution.
In the strongest language yet, both US President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about the need for an "orderly transition" to a democratic future for Egypt.
The White House says Mr Obama made a number of calls about the situation over the weekend to foreign leaders including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
The protests in Egypt are top of the agenda of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.
The unrest in Egypt follows the uprising in Tunisia which ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali two weeks ago after 23 years in power.
amoy
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let me give u a Chinese link http://www.here4news.com/article/3261333
if u understand Chinese (or do some machine translation) u probably come to see how 'profound' interpretation Chinese have about what's going on in Tunisia, in Egypt, in Saudi, in Jordan.
Let me do some translation of excerpts -
而对欧盟æ¥è¯´ï¼Œè¿™ä¸ªåœ°å¸¦ï¼Œæ˜¯æ¬§ç›Ÿçš„地ä¸æµ·è®¡åˆ’的主è¦é¢†åœŸï¼Œè¦æ˜¯è¿™äº›åœ°æ–¹çš„独è£ã€äº²è¥¿æ–¹ã€ä¸»å¼ 世俗生活的政府统统垮å°ï¼Œè€Œç”±æ²™ç‰¹ç“¦å“ˆæ¯”教派深刻影å“的穆斯林æžç«¯åŠ¿åŠ›ä¸Šå°ï¼Œé‚£å°±æ˜¯ä¸€ä¸ªå¤§å™©æ¢¦ã€‚
It'll be a nightmare for EU if collapse of those pro-West, secular dictatorships leads to Wahabi extremists coming to power.
一旦这些国家出现穆斯林宗教势力政æƒï¼Œå¤§æ¦‚ä¼šç±»ä¼¼äºŽä¼Šæœ—é‚£æ ·ï¼ŒåŸºæœ¬æ˜¯å西方的å–æ€ã€‚ä½†æ˜¯å› ä¸ºäººå®¶æ˜¯æ‰“ç€è¥¿æ–¹çš„民主自由招牌，西方的军事干预，估计缺ä¹é“å¾·æ——å·ã€‚
也许对西方最ç†æƒ³çš„ç»“å±€ï¼Œå°±æ˜¯å‡ºçŽ°åœŸè€³å…¶é‚£æ ·çš„ï¼Œè™½ç„¶ç‹¬ç«‹äºŽè¥¿æ–¹ä¹‹å¤–ï¼Œä½†æ˜¯å¯¹è¥¿æ–¹å¹¶éžæ·±æ¶ç—›ç»çš„政府。
If Muslim fundamentalists come to power in those countries (Tunisia, Egypt...) they're mostly of Iran type i.e. posturing against the West. But the West is no longer on any moral high ground to intervene (in the uprisings) since they (extremists) are taking over power in the name of "democracy" and "freedom".
Perhaps the most ideal outcome for the West is new regimes follow Turkey's pattern, independent but not so much to the West's disliking.
if u understand Chinese (or do some machine translation) u probably come to see how 'profound' interpretation Chinese have about what's going on in Tunisia, in Egypt, in Saudi, in Jordan.
Let me do some translation of excerpts -
而对欧盟æ¥è¯´ï¼Œè¿™ä¸ªåœ°å¸¦ï¼Œæ˜¯æ¬§ç›Ÿçš„地ä¸æµ·è®¡åˆ’的主è¦é¢†åœŸï¼Œè¦æ˜¯è¿™äº›åœ°æ–¹çš„独è£ã€äº²è¥¿æ–¹ã€ä¸»å¼ 世俗生活的政府统统垮å°ï¼Œè€Œç”±æ²™ç‰¹ç“¦å“ˆæ¯”教派深刻影å“的穆斯林æžç«¯åŠ¿åŠ›ä¸Šå°ï¼Œé‚£å°±æ˜¯ä¸€ä¸ªå¤§å™©æ¢¦ã€‚
It'll be a nightmare for EU if collapse of those pro-West, secular dictatorships leads to Wahabi extremists coming to power.
一旦这些国家出现穆斯林宗教势力政æƒï¼Œå¤§æ¦‚ä¼šç±»ä¼¼äºŽä¼Šæœ—é‚£æ ·ï¼ŒåŸºæœ¬æ˜¯å西方的å–æ€ã€‚ä½†æ˜¯å› ä¸ºäººå®¶æ˜¯æ‰“ç€è¥¿æ–¹çš„民主自由招牌，西方的军事干预，估计缺ä¹é“å¾·æ——å·ã€‚
也许对西方最ç†æƒ³çš„ç»“å±€ï¼Œå°±æ˜¯å‡ºçŽ°åœŸè€³å…¶é‚£æ ·çš„ï¼Œè™½ç„¶ç‹¬ç«‹äºŽè¥¿æ–¹ä¹‹å¤–ï¼Œä½†æ˜¯å¯¹è¥¿æ–¹å¹¶éžæ·±æ¶ç—›ç»çš„政府。
If Muslim fundamentalists come to power in those countries (Tunisia, Egypt...) they're mostly of Iran type i.e. posturing against the West. But the West is no longer on any moral high ground to intervene (in the uprisings) since they (extremists) are taking over power in the name of "democracy" and "freedom".
Perhaps the most ideal outcome for the West is new regimes follow Turkey's pattern, independent but not so much to the West's disliking.
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Correct.
The Muslim fundamentalist issue would be what the Chinese would like their people to know for obvious reasons.
Any comment on restriction of fundamental rights of the Egyptians which led to the riots/ protest/ uprising?
Or ElBaradei statements.
I gave you a link of a CNTV video giving bland news about aircraft to evacuate tourists.
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Correct.
The Muslim fundamentalist issue would be what the Chinese would like their people to know for obvious reasons.
Any comment on restriction of fundamental rights of the Egyptians which led to the riots/ protest/ uprising?
Or ElBaradei statements.
I gave you a link of a CNTV video giving bland news about aircraft to evacuate tourists.
amoy
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I guess u're hinting Chinese gvmt trying to guide Chinese to think it's only about al-ikhwanal-muslimin?
another excerpt -
由于ä¸æ»¡æ”¿åºœè…è´¥ã€ç‰©ä»·ä¸Šæ¶¨å’Œå¤±ä¸šçŽ‡é«˜ç‰é—®é¢˜ï¼ŒåŸƒåŠå¤šä¸ªåŸŽå¸‚25æ—¥å‘生民众大规模集会，è¦æ±‚总统穆巴拉克下å°ã€‚部分抗议者与è¦å¯Ÿå‘生冲çªï¼Œé€ æˆäººå‘˜ä¼¤äº¡ã€‚æ®æ‚‰ï¼Œæ¤æ¬¡ç¤ºå¨æ´»åŠ¨æ˜¯åŸƒåŠ1977年以æ¥è§„æ¨¡æœ€å¤§çš„ä¸€æ¬¡ï¼Œå½“æ—¶äººä»¬å› ç²®é£ŸçŸç¼ºè€Œèµ°ä¸Šè¡—头。抗议者通过Facebookå’ŒTwitter进行组织活动。为æ¤ï¼ŒåŸƒåŠå·²ç»å°æ€äº†Twitter，连移动网站也éå°æ€"¦
人å£è¿‡å‰©ã€å°±ä¸šä¸å……分引å‘çš„å±æœºè”“延了？
Translation: rallies in major Egyptian cities against corruption, inflation and high unemployment rate requesting Mubarrak to step down. clashes btwn police and protesters...
and a Chinese video clip on riots/curfew in Egypt http://news.ifeng.com/world/special/aijisaoluan/content-2/detail_2011_01/30/4526952_0.shtml
another excerpt -
由于ä¸æ»¡æ”¿åºœè…è´¥ã€ç‰©ä»·ä¸Šæ¶¨å’Œå¤±ä¸šçŽ‡é«˜ç‰é—®é¢˜ï¼ŒåŸƒåŠå¤šä¸ªåŸŽå¸‚25æ—¥å‘生民众大规模集会，è¦æ±‚总统穆巴拉克下å°ã€‚部分抗议者与è¦å¯Ÿå‘生冲çªï¼Œé€ æˆäººå‘˜ä¼¤äº¡ã€‚æ®æ‚‰ï¼Œæ¤æ¬¡ç¤ºå¨æ´»åŠ¨æ˜¯åŸƒåŠ1977年以æ¥è§„æ¨¡æœ€å¤§çš„ä¸€æ¬¡ï¼Œå½“æ—¶äººä»¬å› ç²®é£ŸçŸç¼ºè€Œèµ°ä¸Šè¡—头。抗议者通过Facebookå’ŒTwitter进行组织活动。为æ¤ï¼ŒåŸƒåŠå·²ç»å°æ€äº†Twitter，连移动网站也éå°æ€"¦
人å£è¿‡å‰©ã€å°±ä¸šä¸å……分引å‘çš„å±æœºè”“延了？
Translation: rallies in major Egyptian cities against corruption, inflation and high unemployment rate requesting Mubarrak to step down. clashes btwn police and protesters...
and a Chinese video clip on riots/curfew in Egypt http://news.ifeng.com/world/special/aijisaoluan/content-2/detail_2011_01/30/4526952_0.shtml
p2prada
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It says nothing about "dictatorship" and the political situation. It talks about Egypt as though it is a minor law and order problem. Is there a news link which says the people want a regime change and Mubarak's dilemma with the military instead of highlighting social problems?
If you have such news then that would mean China has not curbed free media. If you don't then you know the drill.
sandeepdg
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'Million man march' planned to bring Mubarak down
Egyptian protesters on Monday called for an indefinite strike in Egypt and a "million man march" on Tuesday in Cairo, upping the stakes in their bid to topple President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
"It was decided overnight that there will be a million man march on Tuesday," Eid Mohammed, one of the protesters and organisers said.
"We have also decided to begin an open ended general strike," he said. The strike was first called by workers in the canal city of Suez late on Sunday.
"We will be joining the Suez workers and begin a general strike until our demands are met," Mohammed Waked, another protest organiser said.
In Cairo's Tahrir square, hundreds of protesters camped out overnight, in a bid to keep up the biggest anti government protests in three decades.
Embattled President Hosni Mubarak appointed the first vice president in his 30 year rule, and a new Prime Minister in a desperate attempt to hold on to power. The protesters insisted they will not leave until Mubarak does, chanting "We will stay in the square, until the coward leaves."
Mubarak, who sacked his cabinet on Friday, tasked his new Prime Minister on Sunday to ram through democratic reforms. His instructions to Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq were read out on state television late on Sunday but had no discernible effect on protesters bunkered down in a central Cairo square vowing not to leave until he steps down. Mubarak also said the new Prime Minister's priority was restricting unemployment and creating new jobs.
"Above all that, and concurrent with it, I emphasise the importance of urgently, completely, effectively taking new and continuous steps for more political reforms, constitutional and legislative, through dialogue with all parties," Mubarak told Shafiq. He also instructed the new cabinet, whose members have not yet been named, to restrict unemployment, end corruption and restore trust in the country's economy.
But the announcement had little discernible effect on the more than 1,000 people encamped at Tahrir square, the protest epicentre, early on Monday, some sleeping but many more marching and shouting their determination to stay there until Mubarak quits. The army has positioned tanks around the square and was checking identity papers but letting protesters in.
Civilian popular committee members were also checking papers to make sure no plainclothes police get in. "We are looking for police trouble makers, they want to come in and break our unity," said a popular committee member who asked not to be named. Nearby soldiers scrubbed furiously at their tanks in a bid to wash off some of the anti Mubarak graffiti they have been covered in over the last three days, as officers looked on.
Top dissident Mohamed ElBaradei late on Sunday told a sea of angry protesters in the square that they were beginning a new era. The Nobel laureate, who was mandated by Egyptian opposition groups, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood, to negotiate with Mubarak's regime, hailed "a new Egypt in which every Egyptian lives in freedom and dignity." "We are on the right path, our strength is in our numbers," ElBaradei said in his first address on Tahrir square.
"I ask you to be patient, change is coming." "We will sacrifice our soul and our blood for the nation," the angry crowd shouted. "The people want to topple the president." Brotherhood leaders Essam el-Erian and Saad el-Katatni, who walked out of prison earlier on Sunday after their guards fled, also addressed the crowd.
"They tried every way to stop the revolution of the people but we will be steadfast regardless of how many martyrs fall," Erian said.
The protests against Mubarak's three decade rule have shaken Egypt and left at least 125 people dead as the veteran leader clings to power.
Several foreign governments said they would evacuate their nationals, while the United States authorised the departure of embassy families.
Mubarak on Sunday met with army brass seen as holding the key to his future as warplanes roared low over the downtown Cairo protest in an apparent show of force. State television said he visited central military command where he met his newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, the intelligence chief.
Mubarak, a former air force chief, appeared to be bolstering his army support as he faces down the revolt. Washington, a key ally of Egypt, called on Mubarak to do more to defuse the crisis but stopped short of saying he should quit. But President Barack Obama also voiced support for "an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people," in calls to regional leaders on Saturday, the White House said.
With fears of insecurity rising, thousands of convicts broke out of prisons across Egypt overnight after they overwhelmed guards or after prison personnel fled their posts. An AFP correspondent saw 14 bodies in a mosque near Cairo's Abu Zaabal prison, which a resident said were of two police and 12 convicts. Troops set up checkpoints on roads to riot hit prisons, stopping and searching cars for prisoners on the run.
Among those who escaped were senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as members of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, some of whom made it back to the Gaza Strip through smuggling tunnels.
Groups of club carrying vigilantes have been deployed on Cairo's streets to protect property from looters amid growing insecurity as the Arab world's most populous nation faced an uncertain future. Youths handed over suspected looters to the army, as police who had battled stone throwing protesters in the first days of the demonstrations were hardly visible.
Many petrol stations are running out of fuel, motorists said, and many bank cash machines have either been looted or no longer work. Egyptian banks and the stock exchange were ordered closed on Sunday.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...to-bring-Mubarak-down/articleshow/7397572.cms
Egyptian protesters on Monday called for an indefinite strike in Egypt and a "million man march" on Tuesday in Cairo, upping the stakes in their bid to topple President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
"It was decided overnight that there will be a million man march on Tuesday," Eid Mohammed, one of the protesters and organisers said.
"We have also decided to begin an open ended general strike," he said. The strike was first called by workers in the canal city of Suez late on Sunday.
"We will be joining the Suez workers and begin a general strike until our demands are met," Mohammed Waked, another protest organiser said.
In Cairo's Tahrir square, hundreds of protesters camped out overnight, in a bid to keep up the biggest anti government protests in three decades.
Embattled President Hosni Mubarak appointed the first vice president in his 30 year rule, and a new Prime Minister in a desperate attempt to hold on to power. The protesters insisted they will not leave until Mubarak does, chanting "We will stay in the square, until the coward leaves."
Mubarak, who sacked his cabinet on Friday, tasked his new Prime Minister on Sunday to ram through democratic reforms. His instructions to Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq were read out on state television late on Sunday but had no discernible effect on protesters bunkered down in a central Cairo square vowing not to leave until he steps down. Mubarak also said the new Prime Minister's priority was restricting unemployment and creating new jobs.
"Above all that, and concurrent with it, I emphasise the importance of urgently, completely, effectively taking new and continuous steps for more political reforms, constitutional and legislative, through dialogue with all parties," Mubarak told Shafiq. He also instructed the new cabinet, whose members have not yet been named, to restrict unemployment, end corruption and restore trust in the country's economy.
But the announcement had little discernible effect on the more than 1,000 people encamped at Tahrir square, the protest epicentre, early on Monday, some sleeping but many more marching and shouting their determination to stay there until Mubarak quits. The army has positioned tanks around the square and was checking identity papers but letting protesters in.
Civilian popular committee members were also checking papers to make sure no plainclothes police get in. "We are looking for police trouble makers, they want to come in and break our unity," said a popular committee member who asked not to be named. Nearby soldiers scrubbed furiously at their tanks in a bid to wash off some of the anti Mubarak graffiti they have been covered in over the last three days, as officers looked on.
Top dissident Mohamed ElBaradei late on Sunday told a sea of angry protesters in the square that they were beginning a new era. The Nobel laureate, who was mandated by Egyptian opposition groups, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood, to negotiate with Mubarak's regime, hailed "a new Egypt in which every Egyptian lives in freedom and dignity." "We are on the right path, our strength is in our numbers," ElBaradei said in his first address on Tahrir square.
"I ask you to be patient, change is coming." "We will sacrifice our soul and our blood for the nation," the angry crowd shouted. "The people want to topple the president." Brotherhood leaders Essam el-Erian and Saad el-Katatni, who walked out of prison earlier on Sunday after their guards fled, also addressed the crowd.
"They tried every way to stop the revolution of the people but we will be steadfast regardless of how many martyrs fall," Erian said.
The protests against Mubarak's three decade rule have shaken Egypt and left at least 125 people dead as the veteran leader clings to power.
Several foreign governments said they would evacuate their nationals, while the United States authorised the departure of embassy families.
Mubarak on Sunday met with army brass seen as holding the key to his future as warplanes roared low over the downtown Cairo protest in an apparent show of force. State television said he visited central military command where he met his newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, the intelligence chief.
Mubarak, a former air force chief, appeared to be bolstering his army support as he faces down the revolt. Washington, a key ally of Egypt, called on Mubarak to do more to defuse the crisis but stopped short of saying he should quit. But President Barack Obama also voiced support for "an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people," in calls to regional leaders on Saturday, the White House said.
With fears of insecurity rising, thousands of convicts broke out of prisons across Egypt overnight after they overwhelmed guards or after prison personnel fled their posts. An AFP correspondent saw 14 bodies in a mosque near Cairo's Abu Zaabal prison, which a resident said were of two police and 12 convicts. Troops set up checkpoints on roads to riot hit prisons, stopping and searching cars for prisoners on the run.
Among those who escaped were senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as members of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, some of whom made it back to the Gaza Strip through smuggling tunnels.
Groups of club carrying vigilantes have been deployed on Cairo's streets to protect property from looters amid growing insecurity as the Arab world's most populous nation faced an uncertain future. Youths handed over suspected looters to the army, as police who had battled stone throwing protesters in the first days of the demonstrations were hardly visible.
Many petrol stations are running out of fuel, motorists said, and many bank cash machines have either been looted or no longer work. Egyptian banks and the stock exchange were ordered closed on Sunday.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...to-bring-Mubarak-down/articleshow/7397572.cms
sandeepdg
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No cops in sight, Indians in Cairo fight looters with bats
NEW DELHI: Standing in the darkness in the chaos of Saturday night Cairo, members of the Indian community had nothing but their children's cricket bats to fend off looters. One of them requesting anonymity managed to get through to this paper despite intermittent mobile phone services. "All the men are standing guard outside our building. Our wives and children are inside. There is no police or military on the roads in our area. Shops near here are being looted, they even looted the main government hospital. Pray for us," he said. ( Read: Obama calls on Mubarak, warns Egypt against violence )
The decision to leave came in the morning after they spent two sleepless nights on Friday and Saturday worried for the safety of their families. They got in touch with the Indian Ambassador to Egypt R Swaminathan, who assured them that external affairs minister S M Krishna had been apprised of the situation.
There are 3,000 odd Indians living and working in Egypt. About 2,000 are in Cairo. Though there are some who have decided to stay put for now, those keen to return home say: "We want to wait till the situation improves before coming back."
For two days when communications including the internet and mobile phone services were blocked all over Cairo, they were unable to call their families back in India, speak to each other in the city during the curfew or books tickets online. Then they found out that most carriers had stopped operations to and from Cairo. ( Read: Egypt ordered cell phone service stopped )
"We have enough provisions to last a week here, after that we don't know. The children can't go to school and we are not able to go to work. All we could do was watch the news on TV," said one.
News trickled in Sunday morning about the special Air India flight being arranged by the Indian government. Many are hoping to be among the 280 passengers who can be accommodated on this flight.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ht-looters-with-bats-/articleshow/7394163.cms
NEW DELHI: Standing in the darkness in the chaos of Saturday night Cairo, members of the Indian community had nothing but their children's cricket bats to fend off looters. One of them requesting anonymity managed to get through to this paper despite intermittent mobile phone services. "All the men are standing guard outside our building. Our wives and children are inside. There is no police or military on the roads in our area. Shops near here are being looted, they even looted the main government hospital. Pray for us," he said. ( Read: Obama calls on Mubarak, warns Egypt against violence )
The decision to leave came in the morning after they spent two sleepless nights on Friday and Saturday worried for the safety of their families. They got in touch with the Indian Ambassador to Egypt R Swaminathan, who assured them that external affairs minister S M Krishna had been apprised of the situation.
There are 3,000 odd Indians living and working in Egypt. About 2,000 are in Cairo. Though there are some who have decided to stay put for now, those keen to return home say: "We want to wait till the situation improves before coming back."
For two days when communications including the internet and mobile phone services were blocked all over Cairo, they were unable to call their families back in India, speak to each other in the city during the curfew or books tickets online. Then they found out that most carriers had stopped operations to and from Cairo. ( Read: Egypt ordered cell phone service stopped )
"We have enough provisions to last a week here, after that we don't know. The children can't go to school and we are not able to go to work. All we could do was watch the news on TV," said one.
News trickled in Sunday morning about the special Air India flight being arranged by the Indian government. Many are hoping to be among the 280 passengers who can be accommodated on this flight.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ht-looters-with-bats-/articleshow/7394163.cms
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