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Do you know what a profound difference you have made in recent months? I know, and so do authorities around the world who were pressured to do the right thing as a result of your actions. You helped give journalist Eynulla Fatullayev his life back. Your actions helped set him free in May. He spent four tortured years in an Azerbaijani prison for criticizing his government. "I was between life and death. I witnessed much evil. It was you, my friends and saviors from the Amnesty International that kept alight the flame of hope in my soul." -- Former prisoner of conscience Eynulla FatullayevYou unlocked protester Faizan Rafiq Hakeen's prison door with thousands of tweets. Police detained the 14-year-old in February under the controversial Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act and were ready to try him as an adult. In April, thanks to tough on-the-ground campaigning and a barrage of Twitter messages, or Tweets, authorities reconsidered his case and set Faizan free. You made the Egyptian army pledge to stop forcing women protesters to undero humiliating "virginity tests". The army said the tests "protected" them against possible allegations of rape. You cried foul and demanded action. In June, Egypt's military yielded, pledging to stop the degrading treatment of female detainees. You gave the people of Illinois the boost they needed to overturn the death penalty in their state. On March 9, 2011, Illinois became the 16th state to abolish the death penalty, liberating itself from a failed experiment and restoring dignity to its people. I hope that you are proud of these accomplishments. I am. They are nothing less than victories for humanity. And for that, we should take a moment to celebrate and to reflect on how powerful we can be when we stand together for human rights. Thank you for all you do to defend human rights. In solidarity, Larry Cox Executive Director Amnesty International USA |  You did it.  © MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images    | |||
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BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
Showing posts with label Egyptian Army. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Egyptian Army. Show all posts
11 July 2011
Feel good. You made these 4 victories possible. from Amnesty International 11JUL11
JUST an update from AI on a few victories achieved because people took the time to participate in AI Actions for these and many other people around the world. Thank you if you participated and support AI!!!
24 June 2011
The struggle for freedom of expression in the ‘new Egypt’ from AI 23JUN11
A report from Amnesty International on the human rights and political situation in Egypt. There is reason for hope......
By Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General
Arriving at Cairo airport earlier this week, the first time I had been to the country since the ‘25 January Revolution’, I got what seemed to be an early sign that some things have changed.
Our bags were opened at customs and contained a large amount of Amnesty International Arabic language materials on human rights in Egypt- reports, press releases and leaflets documenting serious abuses, both by the former government and more recently since Mubarak stepped down.
In the old days this could have meant several hours of questioning, and probably the confiscation of the material. The day before my arrival another member of our team had spent nearly two hours being questioned at immigration about the purpose of her trip.
But in this case, the officer checked with his superior, who took one look at the papers and simply waved us through.
This is an exciting time to have come to the region for my first visit as Secretary General. Meeting Egyptian officials and citizens, I am struck by the sense of possibilities and the willingness to challenge entrenched views.
Until this year Egyptians had been expected to accept their lot quietly – political repression, a relentless culture of torture and abuse, economic inequality – and be grateful for it. Those who challenged the system could be punished with “administrative detention” orders – which allowed the authorities to hold them without charge or trial for years – and many thousands were subjected to torture and ill treatment.
That is no longer something that the Egyptians I have met will tolerate. They want real change, and they have many different ideas of how it should be achieved.
Political debate and discussion is everywhere with competing proposals for how to tackle Egypt’s deep-rooted challenges. Transformative events like January 25th and the weeks that followed do not come with easy to follow instructions for what next. The protesters that brought down Mubarak did not have one single manifesto for change. So the arguments about what should come first are in full force.
Should the struggle for political freedoms mean that efforts to reform the economy to better provide for the 40% of the country’s population that live below the international poverty line have to be delayed? How should the rise of voices espousing religious identity – many of which were severely suppressed under Mubarak – be reconciled with the “one people” aspirations of the protesters?
At a meeting Amnesty International hosted this week with local human rights groups the argument was impassioned and views were often very divided. But all agreed on one thing: it was good to be able to debate and argue like this.
But not everyone appreciates the new spirit of free speaking. One Egyptian journalist asked me during an interview “don’t you think that the fact that all our political parties disagree so much is causing instability?” I reminded her that Egyptians had made very clear that they had had quite enough of having one view forced upon them for three decades.
Being prepared to speak freely also means accepting criticism; a new experience for many institutions in Egypt.
The armed forces, who were praised by much of the population for not firing on protesters at the time of Mubarak’s fall and are now in effective charge of the country, have until now dealt particularly badly with being criticised. This is particularly striking since they continue to enjoy relatively high popularity among the Egyptian people.
Rather than answering their critics’ points in a transparent manner, they have attempted to silence their critics, calling in journalists and bloggers and threatening with military prosecution should they continue to publicly speak against the army.
In a deeply worrying trend, the authorities appear to be trying to criminalise dissent – the new ‘Law No.34′ makes any strike or demonstration that “prevents or delays or obstructs from working any state institution or public authority or a public or private workplace” illegal.
There is simply no justification for this move, particularly ahead of elections in September. Peaceful protest is how Egyptians started to bring about change earlier this year.
While Egyptians want and are entitled to expect that law and order will be maintained, measures like this – and the 30 year old state of emergency which despite promises to abolish it remains in place – are unnecessary and do nothing to rebuild the trust of Egypt’s institutions.
As they try to make real their aspirations for a fairer, more just society, the argument and debate must be allowed to continue without Egyptians fearing military trials or arbitrary detention. This is the only way real change will be delivered.
Salil Shetty is visiting Egypt this month with an Amnesty International delegation ©AI
Our bags were opened at customs and contained a large amount of Amnesty International Arabic language materials on human rights in Egypt- reports, press releases and leaflets documenting serious abuses, both by the former government and more recently since Mubarak stepped down.
In the old days this could have meant several hours of questioning, and probably the confiscation of the material. The day before my arrival another member of our team had spent nearly two hours being questioned at immigration about the purpose of her trip.
But in this case, the officer checked with his superior, who took one look at the papers and simply waved us through.
This is an exciting time to have come to the region for my first visit as Secretary General. Meeting Egyptian officials and citizens, I am struck by the sense of possibilities and the willingness to challenge entrenched views.
Until this year Egyptians had been expected to accept their lot quietly – political repression, a relentless culture of torture and abuse, economic inequality – and be grateful for it. Those who challenged the system could be punished with “administrative detention” orders – which allowed the authorities to hold them without charge or trial for years – and many thousands were subjected to torture and ill treatment.
That is no longer something that the Egyptians I have met will tolerate. They want real change, and they have many different ideas of how it should be achieved.
Political debate and discussion is everywhere with competing proposals for how to tackle Egypt’s deep-rooted challenges. Transformative events like January 25th and the weeks that followed do not come with easy to follow instructions for what next. The protesters that brought down Mubarak did not have one single manifesto for change. So the arguments about what should come first are in full force.
Should the struggle for political freedoms mean that efforts to reform the economy to better provide for the 40% of the country’s population that live below the international poverty line have to be delayed? How should the rise of voices espousing religious identity – many of which were severely suppressed under Mubarak – be reconciled with the “one people” aspirations of the protesters?
At a meeting Amnesty International hosted this week with local human rights groups the argument was impassioned and views were often very divided. But all agreed on one thing: it was good to be able to debate and argue like this.
But not everyone appreciates the new spirit of free speaking. One Egyptian journalist asked me during an interview “don’t you think that the fact that all our political parties disagree so much is causing instability?” I reminded her that Egyptians had made very clear that they had had quite enough of having one view forced upon them for three decades.
Being prepared to speak freely also means accepting criticism; a new experience for many institutions in Egypt.
The armed forces, who were praised by much of the population for not firing on protesters at the time of Mubarak’s fall and are now in effective charge of the country, have until now dealt particularly badly with being criticised. This is particularly striking since they continue to enjoy relatively high popularity among the Egyptian people.
Rather than answering their critics’ points in a transparent manner, they have attempted to silence their critics, calling in journalists and bloggers and threatening with military prosecution should they continue to publicly speak against the army.
In a deeply worrying trend, the authorities appear to be trying to criminalise dissent – the new ‘Law No.34′ makes any strike or demonstration that “prevents or delays or obstructs from working any state institution or public authority or a public or private workplace” illegal.
There is simply no justification for this move, particularly ahead of elections in September. Peaceful protest is how Egyptians started to bring about change earlier this year.
While Egyptians want and are entitled to expect that law and order will be maintained, measures like this – and the 30 year old state of emergency which despite promises to abolish it remains in place – are unnecessary and do nothing to rebuild the trust of Egypt’s institutions.
As they try to make real their aspirations for a fairer, more just society, the argument and debate must be allowed to continue without Egyptians fearing military trials or arbitrary detention. This is the only way real change will be delivered.
23 June 2011
Egypt's Political Transformation Moves Slowly 22JUN11
IT is a natural part of the democratic process (consider our own history) for there to be concerns about the shape of the democratic government that will eventually assume control. Egyptians, who sacrificed so much and so many to bring freedom and democracy to their country need to remain vigilant, but also need to accept responsibility for the government they will get by remaining involved in the process through continued protest and by working together to bring about viable political organizations and parties committed to freedom, democracy and human rights for all in Egypt, and then remaining responsible for their government by participating in their democracy by voting. America should provide support through non-partisan NGOs like the Carter Center and American universities to guide the formation of democratic institutions in Egypt, but the ultimate outcome should be Egyptian, and as long as the outcome is a true democracy America should be prepared to assist the new Egyptian nation with more developmental than military aid to boost the stability of this fledgling democracy. From NPR....
Four months after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was ousted, the military remains firmly in charge. But the question of who will ultimately control the country remains wide open.
The army will clearly remain a powerful influence. Memories remain strong of the 1952 revolution against the monarchy — when army officers pledged a transition to democracy but gradually consolidated their hold on power.
But today's military has made it clear that it doesn't, ultimately, want to be in charge. "They don't want to govern during what is going to be a turbulent period economically," says Shibley Telhami, a Middle East scholar at the University of Maryland.
If the military is wary of bearing full responsibility for running the country over the long term, so is the Muslim Brotherhood. The Islamist group led the opposition against Mubarak in the years leading up to this past winter's upheaval and remains perhaps the best-organized political force in the country.
Opening Up A Power Vacuum
Still, the Muslim Brotherhood is aware that the prospect of its coming to power creates anxiety for many Egyptians and the international community. The group has pledged to limit its reach for now and says it won't put up a candidate for president, nor contest a majority of parliamentary seats.
"They envision having a significant number of seats in Parliament, which would allow them to be a kingmaker," Telhami says. "Ideally, they'd like to be the kingmakers without being accountable."
The military and the Muslim Brotherhood appear to have come to some tacit understanding about the roles each will play in the political process in the coming months. But who, then, will fill the vacuum?
No one resembling a front-running candidate has emerged in the nascent presidential contest. Meanwhile, the organizers of the pro-democracy demonstrations that brought Mubarak down are pleading for more time to get their political operations in shape.
"I am surprised, and I think many Egyptians are, that we haven't seen a more rapid consolidation of the opposition into an actual political movement, or string of political movements," says Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Debate On Delaying Elections
The popular referendum approved in March calls for parliamentary elections to be held in September. Parliament will then appoint an assembly to rewrite the Constitution and pave the way for presidential elections.
Democracy activists argue that timetable is too rapid. Early elections, they contend, would give the advantage to the Muslim Brotherhood and elements of Mubarak's old party. They want more time to get ready.
About three dozen youth and political groups are supporting a "Constitution First" platform, seeking to change the sequence of how the country's laws are revised. They received a boost on Sunday when Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said he would support delaying parliamentary elections beyond September to give the "political landscape" more time to jell.
Some Power Through Protest
The youth and political groups are collecting signatures in support of such a delay and are calling for a massive rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square on July 8 in support of their cause.
Protests in the now-legendary square have remained a regular feature of the post-Mubarak era. Protesters have won important concessions from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the military junta running the country, such as subjecting Mubarak and his sons to criminal investigation.
"It's been kind of remarkable what the protesters have been able to accomplish," says Jason Brownlee, a government professor at the University of Texas. "Every time they go out and do a protest in Tahrir, they seem to get a concession."
No Going Backward?
But protests won't forever remain the primary means of political expression. Once elections are held, the new government will have to deal with public demands.
Telhami, the Maryland professor, is optimistic that holding elections will "transform" Egypt's political environment. "The people who organized the uprisings in the first place are not going to let an elected government get away with going backward."
Not all observers of the situation in Egypt are so sanguine. The Muslim Brotherhood, while shying away from seizing political power in the near term, will want to play a large role in setting the policy agenda.
And the military will continue to have its influence as well. It may continue to play a role akin to that of the military in Turkey in recent decades, which has occasionally stepped in and overthrown civilian governments that pursued a course that the military opposed.
Some worry that the types of liberalizing changes allowed by SCAF have been cosmetic, at best, such as renaming the old state security agency.
"The security apparatus is essentially unchanged and the military's always been the core of the regime, anyway," says Joshua Stacher, a political scientist at Kent State University.
"This leads me to believe we're in a situation where we're seeing the reconstruction of authoritarian institutions," he says. "All this doesn't really bode well for the kind of changes that people aspired to on Feb. 11, when Mubarak left."
Correction June 22, 2011
A previous version of this story incorrectly said that Hosni Mubarak had left office five months ago. It was actually four months ago. Khalil Hamra/AP Egyptian protesters wave national flags as they attend a rally in Tahrir Square in Cairo on May 27.
The army will clearly remain a powerful influence. Memories remain strong of the 1952 revolution against the monarchy — when army officers pledged a transition to democracy but gradually consolidated their hold on power.
U.S. Relations With Egypt
For all the changes still occurring within Egypt's government, the country is expected to remain an ally of the United States. Just maybe not as reliable as it once was.
Analysts do not predict any major rift when it comes to the major areas of cooperation between the two countries, including strong ties between the militaries and continuing peace with Israel. But no one expects Egypt to be as compliant as it was under deposed President Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt will instead take steps that will occasionally anger the U.S., such as its recent decision to open its border with Gaza. "Frankly, you can't get away with what Mubarak was getting away with," says Joshua Stracher, a Kent State political scientist.
But the U.S., for its part, is frustrating some Egyptians. President Obama last month unveiled a $2 billion aid package for Egypt and Tunisia that was considered modest in the Middle East. Congress doesn't appear likely to approve anything more, however.
That leads some analysts to suggest that the U.S. is missing a bet by not doing more. Egypt remains central to the nation's strategy for the region.
"You have a very broad sense in the Middle East that Egypt is the most strategic thing in play and that the U.S. isn't doing enough to nudge it in the right way," says Jon Alterman, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
— Alan Greenblatt
Analysts do not predict any major rift when it comes to the major areas of cooperation between the two countries, including strong ties between the militaries and continuing peace with Israel. But no one expects Egypt to be as compliant as it was under deposed President Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt will instead take steps that will occasionally anger the U.S., such as its recent decision to open its border with Gaza. "Frankly, you can't get away with what Mubarak was getting away with," says Joshua Stracher, a Kent State political scientist.
But the U.S., for its part, is frustrating some Egyptians. President Obama last month unveiled a $2 billion aid package for Egypt and Tunisia that was considered modest in the Middle East. Congress doesn't appear likely to approve anything more, however.
That leads some analysts to suggest that the U.S. is missing a bet by not doing more. Egypt remains central to the nation's strategy for the region.
"You have a very broad sense in the Middle East that Egypt is the most strategic thing in play and that the U.S. isn't doing enough to nudge it in the right way," says Jon Alterman, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
— Alan Greenblatt
If the military is wary of bearing full responsibility for running the country over the long term, so is the Muslim Brotherhood. The Islamist group led the opposition against Mubarak in the years leading up to this past winter's upheaval and remains perhaps the best-organized political force in the country.
Opening Up A Power Vacuum
Still, the Muslim Brotherhood is aware that the prospect of its coming to power creates anxiety for many Egyptians and the international community. The group has pledged to limit its reach for now and says it won't put up a candidate for president, nor contest a majority of parliamentary seats.
"They envision having a significant number of seats in Parliament, which would allow them to be a kingmaker," Telhami says. "Ideally, they'd like to be the kingmakers without being accountable."
The military and the Muslim Brotherhood appear to have come to some tacit understanding about the roles each will play in the political process in the coming months. But who, then, will fill the vacuum?
No one resembling a front-running candidate has emerged in the nascent presidential contest. Meanwhile, the organizers of the pro-democracy demonstrations that brought Mubarak down are pleading for more time to get their political operations in shape.
"I am surprised, and I think many Egyptians are, that we haven't seen a more rapid consolidation of the opposition into an actual political movement, or string of political movements," says Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images Mohammed Badie, the head of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, speaks to the press in Cairo on March 19. Democracy activists argue that the timetable for elections is too rapid and will give the advantage to the Muslim Brotherhood and elements of Mubarak's old party.
The popular referendum approved in March calls for parliamentary elections to be held in September. Parliament will then appoint an assembly to rewrite the Constitution and pave the way for presidential elections.
Democracy activists argue that timetable is too rapid. Early elections, they contend, would give the advantage to the Muslim Brotherhood and elements of Mubarak's old party. They want more time to get ready.
About three dozen youth and political groups are supporting a "Constitution First" platform, seeking to change the sequence of how the country's laws are revised. They received a boost on Sunday when Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said he would support delaying parliamentary elections beyond September to give the "political landscape" more time to jell.
Some Power Through Protest
The youth and political groups are collecting signatures in support of such a delay and are calling for a massive rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square on July 8 in support of their cause.
Protests in the now-legendary square have remained a regular feature of the post-Mubarak era. Protesters have won important concessions from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the military junta running the country, such as subjecting Mubarak and his sons to criminal investigation.
"It's been kind of remarkable what the protesters have been able to accomplish," says Jason Brownlee, a government professor at the University of Texas. "Every time they go out and do a protest in Tahrir, they seem to get a concession."
No Going Backward?
But protests won't forever remain the primary means of political expression. Once elections are held, the new government will have to deal with public demands.
Telhami, the Maryland professor, is optimistic that holding elections will "transform" Egypt's political environment. "The people who organized the uprisings in the first place are not going to let an elected government get away with going backward."
Not all observers of the situation in Egypt are so sanguine. The Muslim Brotherhood, while shying away from seizing political power in the near term, will want to play a large role in setting the policy agenda.
And the military will continue to have its influence as well. It may continue to play a role akin to that of the military in Turkey in recent decades, which has occasionally stepped in and overthrown civilian governments that pursued a course that the military opposed.
Some worry that the types of liberalizing changes allowed by SCAF have been cosmetic, at best, such as renaming the old state security agency.
"The security apparatus is essentially unchanged and the military's always been the core of the regime, anyway," says Joshua Stacher, a political scientist at Kent State University.
"This leads me to believe we're in a situation where we're seeing the reconstruction of authoritarian institutions," he says. "All this doesn't really bode well for the kind of changes that people aspired to on Feb. 11, when Mubarak left."
21 April 2011
Egyptian Military Sentences Blogger to Three Years in Prison: Take Action! from HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST 20APR11
THIS is not what hundreds, if not thousands, of Egyptians died for in their revolution. This is not what hundreds of thousands, if not millions, protested for in their revolution. Please click the link and sign the petition to the Egyptian ambassador in D.C. asking him to have Maikel Nabil Sanad released and for the Egyptian government to honor and protect human rights.
Egyptian activist Maikel Nabil Sanad, a critic of the military in Egypt, was just sentenced by a military commission to three years in prison.
Sanad was charged with "insulting the military institution and publishing false news about it" and "disturbing the public security."
Since the revolution, there have been serious concerns about the way the military has dealt with dissent. We've seen reports of arbitrary detention, sexual assault and torture.
Sanad had openly criticized the role of the military both before and during the revolution, outlining cases of torture and other abuses. Now he's in military prison.
Add your name to the petition below. Human Rights First will deliver this petition to the Egyptian Ambassador to the United States, Sameh Shoukry, urging support for Sanad and other Egyptian activists fighting for freedom.
http://actions.humanrightsfirst.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=3773
Egyptian Military Sentences Blogger to Three Years in Prison: Take Action!
 | |
| Help Egyptian activists at risk | |
Sanad was charged with "insulting the military institution and publishing false news about it" and "disturbing the public security."
Since the revolution, there have been serious concerns about the way the military has dealt with dissent. We've seen reports of arbitrary detention, sexual assault and torture.
Sanad had openly criticized the role of the military both before and during the revolution, outlining cases of torture and other abuses. Now he's in military prison.
Add your name to the petition below. Human Rights First will deliver this petition to the Egyptian Ambassador to the United States, Sameh Shoukry, urging support for Sanad and other Egyptian activists fighting for freedom.
http://actions.humanrightsfirst.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=3773
01 April 2011
Urgent! Egyptian activist arrested from HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST 30MAR11
PLEASE sign the petition from Human Rights First in support of and calling for the release of Maikel Nabil Sanad in Egypt. His arrest and trial on 31 MAR 11 for insulting the military in Egypt is a violation of his human rights and a threat to the progress Egypt has made since the overthrow of mubarak. The international community can not tolerate a return to the repressive tactics of the former mubarak government. Click the link to participate....
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11 February 2011
Mubarak Steps Down From Power 11FEB11
VICTORY FOR THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT!!!!!! NONVIOLENT PROTEST TRIUMPHS!!!!! This from NPR and then the latest from MOJO's WHAT'S HAPPENING IN EGYPT EXPLAINED blog (link in my favorite blogs section on this blog)....THE video is of the police shooting a nonviolent protester in Cairo on 6 FEB 11, this is why hosni mubarak had to go.
And here's an interesting/amusing post from counterinsurgency guru and think-tanker Andrew Exum:
UPDATE 173, Friday, Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m. EST: Here's the full text of Suleiman's statement, via the BBC:
Protests In Egypt
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak ceded power Friday after 30 years in office, bowing to weeks of mass protests that paralyzed the country. Vice President Omar Suleiman announced the news on state television and said control over the affairs of state will be turned over to the military. "President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down as president and the higher council of the armed forces will run the affairs of the country," Suleiman said in a brief statement.
The moment the announcement was made, Cairo's Tahrir Square erupted in celebration. People ran through the streets hugging each other and shouting, "Egypt is free!" and "The people have brought down the regime!"
"This is the greatest day of my life. The country has been liberated," opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei told The Associated Press.
The ruling National Democratic Party also has been dissolved and the recently appointed general-secretary of the party, Hossam Badrawi, has resigned.
Badrawi told al-Hayat TV that his was "a resignation from the position and from the party."
"The formation of new parties in a new manner that reflects new thinking is better for society now at this stage," he said.
Mubarak left Cairo on Friday as hundreds of thousands of enraged protesters swarmed across the capital and other major cities in Egypt demanding his resignation.
A local government official told The Associated Press on Friday that Mubarak was in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, some 250 miles from Cairo, where he has a palace.
Reports of the president's resignation came hours after the Egyptian military said it would support Mubarak's decision to remain in office through September elections.
The Armed Forces Supreme Council released a statement Friday endorsing the plan Mubarak unveiled Thursday night for constitutional changes and presidential elections and for transferring some powers to Vice President Omar Suleiman. The council also guaranteed that Egypt's hated emergency laws, imposed when Mubarak took power after the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat, would be lifted "immediately after the end of the current circumstances" — a reference to the mass protests.
The military also called for public services to resume and urged "the return of normal life in order to safeguard the achievements of our glorious people."
'We Expected The Army's Decision'
Undaunted, protesters streamed into Tahrir Square in central Cairo for what was expected to be the largest demonstration yet in weeks of anti-government displays. Crowds of protesters also gathered outside parliament, the headquarters of state television and at the presidential palace.
"We expected the army's decision; we always knew that it was behind Mubarak. But we know it's not going to harm us," Safi Massoud said as she joined thousands of people packed into the square.
"We won't leave until we choose a transition president. We don't want Mubarak, we don't want Suleiman," she said.
The statement from the military cleared up uncertainty over where its loyalties lie after seemingly conflicting statements issued by Mubarak's Cabinet and his generals a day before. The council announced Thursday that it had stepped in to secure the country, and a senior commander told crowds in Cairo that "all their demands" would be met, swelling hopes that Mubarak would go.
Maha Azzam, a fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said it appeared that the military and Cabinet "weren't acting with one voice."
"There were mixed signals, and the United States got those mixed signals as well," Azzam told NPR. "We were all led to believe that there would be some radical change and that Mubarak would step down."
Hundreds of thousands of people across Egypt had watched Mubarak's speech in disbelief and anger as he refused to step down and made the symbolic gesture of handing over some authority to Suleiman. His defiant stance only emboldened the protesters, energizing their call for a "march of millions" Friday.
Protesters Mobilize In Cairo
About 2,500 demonstrators assembled outside the gate of Mubarak's Oruba Palace on Friday, and more than 10,000 tore apart military barricades in front of the State Television and Radio building. The palace was protected by four tanks and rolls of barbed wire, but soldiers were doing nothing to stop people from joining the rally and chanting anti-Mubarak slogans.
Outside the palace, the words "You will be tried" were written in chalk.
"They are really trying to push out into other parts of the city … to up the ante," NPR correspondent Lourdes Garcia-Navarro said, reporting from Tahrir Square.
Others massed outside the Cabinet, parliament and the state TV headquarters several blocks away from Tahrir Square, the center of the mass rallies that began Jan. 25.
Hundreds of demonstrators formed a human barricade around the building that houses state TV and radio, checking IDs and turning away those who work there. Tanks and barbed wire surrounded the building overlooking the Nile, but troops did not keep protesters away.
Soldiers on the streets took no action to stop the demonstrators, indicating they were trying to avoid another outbreak of violence.
In Egypt's second-largest city, Alexandria, NPR's Corey Flintoff said "tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands" were peacefully marching along a main boulevard that snakes along the Mediterranean seaside. Many waved Egyptian flags or carried banners and hand-lettered signs calling for Mubarak to leave.
"We understand, too, that a great many people have gone to Cairo to join the protests in Tahrir Square," Flintoff said.
Anxiety Mounts Across The Middle East
As Egypt braced for Friday's show of rage over Mubarak's speech, the Middle East's unease was mirrored in editorials in Arab newspapers. Egypt's revolution hangs in the balance, was the theme in a Lebanese paper, Egypt's stability will very likely be tested again, from an editorial in a Dubai newspaper.
The uprising in Egypt has already had a profound effect across the region, even seeming to inspire unusual public protest in Saudi Arabia. Despite Mubarak's defiant stance, his announcement did signal the end of one-man rule in Egypt. In a region of autocrats, that is a powerful symbol.
In Thursday night's speech, Mubarak called protesters' demands legitimate and promised that September presidential elections, in which he says he will not run, will be "free and fair," with supervision to ensure transparency.
Mubarak said that on the recommendation of a panel of advisers, he had requested the amendment of five articles of the constitution to loosen the rules on who can run for president, to restore judicial supervision of elections and to impose term limits on the presidency.
He also annulled a constitutional article that gives the president the right to order a military trial for civilians accused of terrorism. Mubarak said this step would "clear the way" for eventually scrapping the emergency law but with a major caveat: "once security and stability are restored."
The emergency law gives police virtually unlimited powers of arrest.
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best organized opposition group, called the speech a "farce."
"This is an illegitimate president handing power to an illegitimate vice president," said Mohammed Abbas, who represents the Brotherhood's youth wing. "We reject this speech, and we call on Mubarak to step down and hand his powers to the army."
ElBaradei, who has emerged as a leader of the opposition, sent a chilling tweet Thursday night, writing, "Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now."
Another opposition figure, Google executive Wael Ghonim, called for caution. "The situation is complicated. I don't want the blood of the martyrs to be wasted and at the same time I don't want to see more bloodshed," he said in comments posted on Facebook.
President Obama appeared dismayed by Mubarak's announcement. He said in a statement that it was not clear that an "immediate, meaningful" transition to democracy was taking place and warned that too many Egyptians are not convinced that the government is serious about making genuine change.
Aaron David Miller, a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, told NPR that the impasse in Egypt leaves the U.S. in "the worst of all possible worlds — with grand expectations and supporting very important values, but without the capacity and leverage to implement a preferred American outcome or even an outcome in Egypt that we can control."
NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Eric Westervelt in Cairo; Corey Flintoff in Alexandria; and Deborah Amos in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this story, which contains material from The Associated Press.
Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images
Egyptian anti-goverment demonstrators flood Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square early Friday.
"This is the greatest day of my life. The country has been liberated," opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei told The Associated Press.
The ruling National Democratic Party also has been dissolved and the recently appointed general-secretary of the party, Hossam Badrawi, has resigned.
Badrawi told al-Hayat TV that his was "a resignation from the position and from the party."
"The formation of new parties in a new manner that reflects new thinking is better for society now at this stage," he said.
Mubarak left Cairo on Friday as hundreds of thousands of enraged protesters swarmed across the capital and other major cities in Egypt demanding his resignation.
The Uprising
Live Blog: Latest On Events In Egypt Feb. 11, 2011
Reports of the president's resignation came hours after the Egyptian military said it would support Mubarak's decision to remain in office through September elections.
The Armed Forces Supreme Council released a statement Friday endorsing the plan Mubarak unveiled Thursday night for constitutional changes and presidential elections and for transferring some powers to Vice President Omar Suleiman. The council also guaranteed that Egypt's hated emergency laws, imposed when Mubarak took power after the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat, would be lifted "immediately after the end of the current circumstances" — a reference to the mass protests.
The military also called for public services to resume and urged "the return of normal life in order to safeguard the achievements of our glorious people."
'We Expected The Army's Decision'
Undaunted, protesters streamed into Tahrir Square in central Cairo for what was expected to be the largest demonstration yet in weeks of anti-government displays. Crowds of protesters also gathered outside parliament, the headquarters of state television and at the presidential palace.
"We expected the army's decision; we always knew that it was behind Mubarak. But we know it's not going to harm us," Safi Massoud said as she joined thousands of people packed into the square.
"We won't leave until we choose a transition president. We don't want Mubarak, we don't want Suleiman," she said.
The statement from the military cleared up uncertainty over where its loyalties lie after seemingly conflicting statements issued by Mubarak's Cabinet and his generals a day before. The council announced Thursday that it had stepped in to secure the country, and a senior commander told crowds in Cairo that "all their demands" would be met, swelling hopes that Mubarak would go.
Maha Azzam, a fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said it appeared that the military and Cabinet "weren't acting with one voice."
"There were mixed signals, and the United States got those mixed signals as well," Azzam told NPR. "We were all led to believe that there would be some radical change and that Mubarak would step down."
Hundreds of thousands of people across Egypt had watched Mubarak's speech in disbelief and anger as he refused to step down and made the symbolic gesture of handing over some authority to Suleiman. His defiant stance only emboldened the protesters, energizing their call for a "march of millions" Friday.
Protesters Mobilize In Cairo
Tarek Fawzy/AP
Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters marched in Alexandria, Egypt's second-largest city, on Friday.
Outside the palace, the words "You will be tried" were written in chalk.
"They are really trying to push out into other parts of the city … to up the ante," NPR correspondent Lourdes Garcia-Navarro said, reporting from Tahrir Square.
Others massed outside the Cabinet, parliament and the state TV headquarters several blocks away from Tahrir Square, the center of the mass rallies that began Jan. 25.
Hundreds of demonstrators formed a human barricade around the building that houses state TV and radio, checking IDs and turning away those who work there. Tanks and barbed wire surrounded the building overlooking the Nile, but troops did not keep protesters away.
Soldiers on the streets took no action to stop the demonstrators, indicating they were trying to avoid another outbreak of violence.
In Egypt's second-largest city, Alexandria, NPR's Corey Flintoff said "tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands" were peacefully marching along a main boulevard that snakes along the Mediterranean seaside. Many waved Egyptian flags or carried banners and hand-lettered signs calling for Mubarak to leave.
"We understand, too, that a great many people have gone to Cairo to join the protests in Tahrir Square," Flintoff said.
Anxiety Mounts Across The Middle East
As Egypt braced for Friday's show of rage over Mubarak's speech, the Middle East's unease was mirrored in editorials in Arab newspapers. Egypt's revolution hangs in the balance, was the theme in a Lebanese paper, Egypt's stability will very likely be tested again, from an editorial in a Dubai newspaper.
The uprising in Egypt has already had a profound effect across the region, even seeming to inspire unusual public protest in Saudi Arabia. Despite Mubarak's defiant stance, his announcement did signal the end of one-man rule in Egypt. In a region of autocrats, that is a powerful symbol.
In Thursday night's speech, Mubarak called protesters' demands legitimate and promised that September presidential elections, in which he says he will not run, will be "free and fair," with supervision to ensure transparency.
Mubarak said that on the recommendation of a panel of advisers, he had requested the amendment of five articles of the constitution to loosen the rules on who can run for president, to restore judicial supervision of elections and to impose term limits on the presidency.
He also annulled a constitutional article that gives the president the right to order a military trial for civilians accused of terrorism. Mubarak said this step would "clear the way" for eventually scrapping the emergency law but with a major caveat: "once security and stability are restored."
The emergency law gives police virtually unlimited powers of arrest.
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best organized opposition group, called the speech a "farce."
"This is an illegitimate president handing power to an illegitimate vice president," said Mohammed Abbas, who represents the Brotherhood's youth wing. "We reject this speech, and we call on Mubarak to step down and hand his powers to the army."
ElBaradei, who has emerged as a leader of the opposition, sent a chilling tweet Thursday night, writing, "Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now."
Another opposition figure, Google executive Wael Ghonim, called for caution. "The situation is complicated. I don't want the blood of the martyrs to be wasted and at the same time I don't want to see more bloodshed," he said in comments posted on Facebook.
President Obama appeared dismayed by Mubarak's announcement. He said in a statement that it was not clear that an "immediate, meaningful" transition to democracy was taking place and warned that too many Egyptians are not convinced that the government is serious about making genuine change.
Aaron David Miller, a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, told NPR that the impasse in Egypt leaves the U.S. in "the worst of all possible worlds — with grand expectations and supporting very important values, but without the capacity and leverage to implement a preferred American outcome or even an outcome in Egypt that we can control."
NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Eric Westervelt in Cairo; Corey Flintoff in Alexandria; and Deborah Amos in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this story, which contains material from The Associated Press.
- Middle East
- Anti-Government Protests Roil Egypt
Anti-Government Protests Roil Egypt
Mubarak's Message: A Matter Of Interpretations
The Egyptian president's speech surprised and confused many — various interpretations didn't help.UPDATE 171, Friday, Feb. 11, 10:15 a.m. EST/5:15 p.m. Cairo: Welcome to Day 18. Protests continue. Mubarak's still in power. What's the latest?
- Mubarak has reportedly left Cairo, but that's unconfirmed and, as The Nation's Greg Mitchell points out, "may not mean much."
- Another "important" announcement is expected shortly from the Egyptian government. No word yet on what that might be.
- US military aid paid for Mubarak's yacht repairs.
- James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, said some nice (and mostly correct) things about the Muslim Brotherhood yesterday, and America's right wing flipped out. The American Prospect's Adam Serwer has the story.
- Speaking of the Muslim Brotherhood, we have an explainer out (by Bob Dreyfuss) about the group: What Is the Muslim Brotherhood, and Will It Take Over Egypt?
UPDATE 172, Friday, Feb. 11, 11:15 a.m. EST/6:15 p.m. Cairo: Egyptian VP Omar Suleiman just appeared on state television to announce that Mubarak has stepped down and handed power to a military council. (We have more on Suleiman: Who is Omar Suleiman?) "Wild cheers" erupted in Cairo's Tahrir square, according to CNN. "This is the greatest day of my life. The country has been liberated," said opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei. Ayman Mohyeldin, an Al Jazeera correspondent, said that for many, a "dream has become a reality." Here's what it looked like:
And here's an interesting/amusing post from counterinsurgency guru and think-tanker Andrew Exum:
Thus far, all of the focus on Egypt has been on winning the day: making sure the administration does not appear to be caught lagging behind momentum. But a better strategy would be —It's not over yet.
HOLY %$#@, as I write this, Hosni Mubarak resigns!!! Holy la vache qui %$#@ing rit.
— figuring out how we want this to end. Do we want a transitional government? Do we want a Turkey-style republic? Figure that out, and we can then figure out what needs to happen for that to take place -- and how we can support the process. Maybe it's election monitors, maybe it's through constitutional lawyers, maybe it's through more aid for the military. But figure out where we want Egypt to go. I don't see that yet from the administration.
UPDATE 173, Friday, Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m. EST: Here's the full text of Suleiman's statement, via the BBC:
In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate, citizens, during these very difficult circumstances Egypt is going through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down from the office of president of the republic and has charged the high council of the armed forces to administer the affairs of the country. May God help everybody.
10 February 2011
Defiant Mubarak Steps Back, But Not Down 10FEB11
mubarak seems to be intent on seeing the country explode in violence.....we can only pray for peace and that the opposition continue the non-violent revolution and force him to leave.....And we must insist the American government halt all lethal military aid to Egypt until a free, democratic government is in place....This from NPR...
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Thursday that he had delegated authority to his vice president. But he reiterated that he will stay in office until September, leaving his own role in the government unclear.
In Cairo, thousands of anti-government demonstrators immediately broke into angry chants of "Get out! Get out!" In Washington, President Obama sharply questioned whether Mubarak's statement was an "immediate, meaningful or sufficient" sign of reform for a country in upheaval.
Mubarak addressed Egyptians as "sons and daughters," calling the demonstrators' demand for change "just and legitimate." But even as he said he was transferring authority to Vice President Omar Suleiman, the president spoke with a tone that was as defiant as it was conciliatory.
"I have to respond to your calls," he said on state TV. "But I am also embarrassed and I will not listen to any foreign interventions or dictations, regardless of their sources.
"I have seen that it is required to delegate the powers and authorities of the president to the vice president as dictated in the constitution," Mubarak said near the end of a 15-minute address.
He conceded that "mistakes are apparent in any political system in any party, but what's important is owning up to our mistakes and fixing our mistakes and holding responsible those who need to be held responsible."
Shortly after Mubarak's speech, Suleiman, appearing on state TV, called on the nation to "join hands and march forward."
He criticized foreign TV networks for fomenting the unrest.
"Do not listen to satellite television stations, whose main goal is to fuel sedition," he said. "Instead, listen to your own conscience."
Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's ambassador to Washington, said Mubarak had transferred all power to Suleiman.
"He has declared very categorically ... that he is transferring the authorities of the office of the president to Vice President Suleiman," Shoukry told NPR's Melissa Block. "That constitutes all authorities that are accorded to the president under the constitution [that] are now effectively in the hands of Vice President Suleiman."
He said Suleiman is prevented by the constitution from making recommendations to amend the document, dissolving parliament and firing the Cabinet.
The Scene In The Square
The president's speech infuriated the crowd gathered in Tahrir, or Liberation, Square. Protesters responded with chants of anger and disappointment, calling the man who has ruled Egypt for 30 years "illegitimate." Before the speech was even over, anger and confusion swept through the crowd.
One of those protesters, Karim Kandil, told Block that the crowd was angry that Mubarak had no intention of leaving office immediately.
Asked what the demonstrators might do now, he said, "Well, there have been some calls to head out to the presidential palace. However, there have been other calls to calm people down, and have them stand their ground here at Tahrir Square. This is our ground, and we're going to stand it."
Kandil said protests will continue in Cairo and across Egypt on Friday "to demand that Mubarak should step down once and for all, and have him tried for the crimes that he has committed."
NPR correspondent Eric Westervelt, reporting from in the square, said some people began throwing shoes. Others left, saying they would be back Friday for more demonstrations.
Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, who's emerged as a leader of the opposition, sent a chilling tweet Thursday night, writing "Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now."
Before the speech, the military said on state TV that it had stepped in to "safeguard the country" after weeks of chaos and instability sparked by the nationwide protests.
Army Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo area, told the crowd at Tahrir Square during the afternoon that "all your demands" would be met.
Within hours of the general's remarks, throngs of protesters expecting Mubarak's ouster streamed into the square. But the jubilation for some was tempered by fears that the country could be simply swapping one authoritarian regime for another and that it was too early to declare victory.
"I am not optimistic," said Ahmed Abdel-Hamid, one of the young protesters. "I am afraid that people will feel triumph and leave the square, while in fact we have handed power from Mubarak to the army into a military abyss."
After the speech, analysts expressed concern, too.
"I'm really afraid that things are going to turn much uglier now in Egypt," said Michele Dunne, of the Working Group on Egypt and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Dunne told NPR's Ari Shapiro that demonstrations might escalate. And she's worried that if protesters march on Mubarak's presidential residence, the Egyptian army would be under a great deal of pressure to respond.
"I think actually having Mubarak come and speak today was worse than not having him speak at all," she said.
Mixed Signals In the U.S.
In a Thursday night statement, President Obama said it "is not yet clear that this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient."
"We therefore urge the Egyptian government to move swiftly to explain the changes that have been made, and to spell out in clear and unambiguous language the step by step process that will lead to democracy and the representative government that the Egyptian people seek," he said.
Before Mubarak's address, Obama told students at Northern Michigan University that the U.S. stands ready "to support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy" in Egypt.
"What is absolutely clear is we are witnessing history unfold," he said. "It's a moment of transformation."
Earlier Thursday, CIA Director Leon Panetta appeared on Capitol Hill before the House Intelligence Committee, where he was asked about reports that Mubarak would relinquish power.
"I got the same information you did, that there is a strong likelihood that Mubarak will step down this evening, which will be significant in terms of where the hopefully orderly transition in Egypt will take place," Panetta said.
Communique No. 1
Earlier Thursday, the country's Supreme Military Council met to discuss "necessary measures and preparations to protect the nation," according to the state press agency MENA. TV footage of the meeting showed that it was chaired by Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and not Mubarak, as is customary.
In what the council called "Communique No. 1," read on state television, the military said it would "support the legitimate demands of the people." The council would remain in permanent session to explore "what measures and arrangements could be made to safeguard the nation, its achievements and the ambitions of its great people," the statement said.
State TV also reported Thursday that a corruption investigation has been opened against three former Egyptian government ministers and a former ruling party leader.
Government Under Pressure
Egyptians have been infuriated by newspaper reports that the Mubarak family has amassed billions, perhaps tens of billions of dollars in wealth while, according to the World Bank, about 40 percent of the country's 80 million people live below or near the poverty line of $2 a day. The family's true net worth is not known.
"We demand a trial of Mubarak and his regime; we are protesting corruption," said Mohammed Zarie, one of the marching lawyers, who said hundreds of lawyers arrived from provinces and planned to spend the night at the square.
Amid the demonstrations and fresh labor strikes, the government also telegraphed more warnings of a strong response to the popular uprising.
Speaking to the Arab news network Al-Arabiya, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said earlier Thursday that if "adventurers" take over the process of reform, the military "will be compelled to defend the constitution and national security ... and we'll find ourselves in a very grave situation."
Gheit's remarks echoed Suleiman's comments a day before implying that martial law could result if the protesters did not go home.
NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro said protesters had become increasingly concerned in recent days of a "stealthy crackdown" by soldiers. Until recently, the army has remained neutral, but there have been reports that soldiers have begun harassing protesters in the past few days.
"Some of the people that have been trying to get in supplies to the square have disappeared only to re-emerge later with allegations that they have been mistreated by the army," Garcia-Navarro said.
The uncertainty over Mubarak's position left protest organizers' plans for a "march of millions" on Friday in limbo.
Youth activists organizing the protests had hoped the turnout at Friday's rally would match demonstrations over the past several weeks that have drawn an estimated quarter-million people or more.
NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, Corey Flintoff and Eric Westervelt reported from Cairo for this story, which contains material from The Associated Press.
In Cairo, thousands of anti-government demonstrators immediately broke into angry chants of "Get out! Get out!" In Washington, President Obama sharply questioned whether Mubarak's statement was an "immediate, meaningful or sufficient" sign of reform for a country in upheaval.
Mubarak addressed Egyptians as "sons and daughters," calling the demonstrators' demand for change "just and legitimate." But even as he said he was transferring authority to Vice President Omar Suleiman, the president spoke with a tone that was as defiant as it was conciliatory.
"I have to respond to your calls," he said on state TV. "But I am also embarrassed and I will not listen to any foreign interventions or dictations, regardless of their sources.
Enlarge AFP/Getty Images Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak addresses the nation on state television Thursday.
He conceded that "mistakes are apparent in any political system in any party, but what's important is owning up to our mistakes and fixing our mistakes and holding responsible those who need to be held responsible."
Shortly after Mubarak's speech, Suleiman, appearing on state TV, called on the nation to "join hands and march forward."
He criticized foreign TV networks for fomenting the unrest.
"Do not listen to satellite television stations, whose main goal is to fuel sedition," he said. "Instead, listen to your own conscience."
Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's ambassador to Washington, said Mubarak had transferred all power to Suleiman.
"He has declared very categorically ... that he is transferring the authorities of the office of the president to Vice President Suleiman," Shoukry told NPR's Melissa Block. "That constitutes all authorities that are accorded to the president under the constitution [that] are now effectively in the hands of Vice President Suleiman."
He said Suleiman is prevented by the constitution from making recommendations to amend the document, dissolving parliament and firing the Cabinet.
The Scene In The Square
The Uprising
One of those protesters, Karim Kandil, told Block that the crowd was angry that Mubarak had no intention of leaving office immediately.
Asked what the demonstrators might do now, he said, "Well, there have been some calls to head out to the presidential palace. However, there have been other calls to calm people down, and have them stand their ground here at Tahrir Square. This is our ground, and we're going to stand it."
Kandil said protests will continue in Cairo and across Egypt on Friday "to demand that Mubarak should step down once and for all, and have him tried for the crimes that he has committed."
NPR correspondent Eric Westervelt, reporting from in the square, said some people began throwing shoes. Others left, saying they would be back Friday for more demonstrations.
Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, who's emerged as a leader of the opposition, sent a chilling tweet Thursday night, writing "Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now."
Before the speech, the military said on state TV that it had stepped in to "safeguard the country" after weeks of chaos and instability sparked by the nationwide protests.
Army Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo area, told the crowd at Tahrir Square during the afternoon that "all your demands" would be met.
Within hours of the general's remarks, throngs of protesters expecting Mubarak's ouster streamed into the square. But the jubilation for some was tempered by fears that the country could be simply swapping one authoritarian regime for another and that it was too early to declare victory.
"I am not optimistic," said Ahmed Abdel-Hamid, one of the young protesters. "I am afraid that people will feel triumph and leave the square, while in fact we have handed power from Mubarak to the army into a military abyss."
After the speech, analysts expressed concern, too.
"I'm really afraid that things are going to turn much uglier now in Egypt," said Michele Dunne, of the Working Group on Egypt and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Dunne told NPR's Ari Shapiro that demonstrations might escalate. And she's worried that if protesters march on Mubarak's presidential residence, the Egyptian army would be under a great deal of pressure to respond.
"I think actually having Mubarak come and speak today was worse than not having him speak at all," she said.
Mixed Signals In the U.S.
In a Thursday night statement, President Obama said it "is not yet clear that this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient."
"We therefore urge the Egyptian government to move swiftly to explain the changes that have been made, and to spell out in clear and unambiguous language the step by step process that will lead to democracy and the representative government that the Egyptian people seek," he said.
Before Mubarak's address, Obama told students at Northern Michigan University that the U.S. stands ready "to support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy" in Egypt.
"What is absolutely clear is we are witnessing history unfold," he said. "It's a moment of transformation."
Earlier Thursday, CIA Director Leon Panetta appeared on Capitol Hill before the House Intelligence Committee, where he was asked about reports that Mubarak would relinquish power.
"I got the same information you did, that there is a strong likelihood that Mubarak will step down this evening, which will be significant in terms of where the hopefully orderly transition in Egypt will take place," Panetta said.
Communique No. 1
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In what the council called "Communique No. 1," read on state television, the military said it would "support the legitimate demands of the people." The council would remain in permanent session to explore "what measures and arrangements could be made to safeguard the nation, its achievements and the ambitions of its great people," the statement said.
State TV also reported Thursday that a corruption investigation has been opened against three former Egyptian government ministers and a former ruling party leader.
Government Under Pressure
Egyptians have been infuriated by newspaper reports that the Mubarak family has amassed billions, perhaps tens of billions of dollars in wealth while, according to the World Bank, about 40 percent of the country's 80 million people live below or near the poverty line of $2 a day. The family's true net worth is not known.
"We demand a trial of Mubarak and his regime; we are protesting corruption," said Mohammed Zarie, one of the marching lawyers, who said hundreds of lawyers arrived from provinces and planned to spend the night at the square.
Amid the demonstrations and fresh labor strikes, the government also telegraphed more warnings of a strong response to the popular uprising.
Speaking to the Arab news network Al-Arabiya, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said earlier Thursday that if "adventurers" take over the process of reform, the military "will be compelled to defend the constitution and national security ... and we'll find ourselves in a very grave situation."
Gheit's remarks echoed Suleiman's comments a day before implying that martial law could result if the protesters did not go home.
NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro said protesters had become increasingly concerned in recent days of a "stealthy crackdown" by soldiers. Until recently, the army has remained neutral, but there have been reports that soldiers have begun harassing protesters in the past few days.
"Some of the people that have been trying to get in supplies to the square have disappeared only to re-emerge later with allegations that they have been mistreated by the army," Garcia-Navarro said.
The uncertainty over Mubarak's position left protest organizers' plans for a "march of millions" on Friday in limbo.
Youth activists organizing the protests had hoped the turnout at Friday's rally would match demonstrations over the past several weeks that have drawn an estimated quarter-million people or more.
NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, Corey Flintoff and Eric Westervelt reported from Cairo for this story, which contains material from The Associated Press.
More From This Series
- Middle East
- Anti-Government Protests Roil Egypt
Anti-Government Protests Roil Egypt
Mubarak Speech May Add Fuel To Protesters' Fire
Demonstrators may have a renewed sense of mission; military's role is crucial to what comes next.Anti-Government Protests Roil Egypt
Defiant Mubarak Steps Back, But Not Down
An Egyptian general had told protesters earlier Thursday that "all your demands will be met today."Anti-Government Protests Roil Egypt
Egypt's Envoy To U.S. Clarifies Mubarak Speech
Sameh Shoukry seeks to clarify Mubarak's speech to the Egyptian people Thursday.Reports: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak may transfer power 10FEB11
WE can only pray this is true, and that responsible parties on both sides will do everything possible to prevent violence in the country when mubarak resigns. This from the Washington Post & NPR....
By Craig Whitlock, Leila Fadel and Ernesto Londono
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, February 10, 2011; 10:58 AM
CAIRO -- President Hosni Mubarak will meet the demands of protesters, military and ruling party officials, the Associated Press reported Thursday, in the strongest indication yet that Egypt's longtime president may be about to give up power.
The military's supreme council was meeting Thursday, without Mubarak, its commander in chief, and announced on state TV its "support of the legitimate demands of the people," AP said.
A spokesman said the council was in permanent session to explore "what measures and arrangements could be made to safeguard the nation, its achievements and the ambitions of its great people."
Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo area, told thousands of protesters in central Tahrir Square, "All your demands will be met today."
But the atmosphere remained tense and uncertain, as top government officials remained vague or gave contradictory statements about Mubarak's future.
After the Army's statement, Shafiq, the prime minister, phoned into state television and said that he could neither confirm nor deny any changes at the top. "The president is in his position and we have not received any decision by him to indicate anything new," Shafiq said.
There was no word from Mubarak himself.
Meantime, revolutionary fervor tightened its grip on the country as doctors, lawyers, bus drivers and factory workers marched through the streets.
Hossan Badrawi, the newly appointed secretary general of the National Democratic Party, told the BBC that Mubarak "may be stepping down" and could give a televised address this evening.
Badrawi later appeared on Egyptian state television and acknowledged that the government was considering constitutional amendments, including one related to a "peaceful transfer of power." Asked if that involved Mubarak, Badrawi replied: "No, I don't have specific information. All I can do is offer predictions. And I would predict that that would be a good thing."
Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq also confirmed that discussions were underway at the highest levels of government about Mubarak ceding at least some of his authority.
Egyptian state television reported that the High Council of the Egyptian armed forces met Thursday afternoon and issued a statement, recognizing the "legitimate demands of the people." The armed forces said they would meet later to discuss "all the necessary measures to preserve the nation." The statement did not mention Mubarak and was not more specific, but it heightened anticipation that major changes were in the offing.
Those reports spread quickly throughout the capital, as many tens of thousands of Egyptians converged on Tahrir Square, the plaza that has served as the epicenter of demonstrations that have convulsed the country for the past 17 days.
Outside the parliament, where protesters had blocked a street and camped out in anticipation of even bigger demonstrations on Friday, people shouted and kissed the ground after hearing news reports that Mubarak might relinquish power. But their emotions swung into reverse moments later, when chants of "false report, false report" dashed their hopes.
Protesters have insisted they will not disband until Mubarak is gone. The authoritarian ruler has responded to them with a combination of fist and glove. Security forces rounded up hundreds of activists and harassed journalists last week; since then, Vice President Omar Suleiman has tried to engage in talks with protest leaders. But the government's offers of vague or limited political concessions have done little to stem the demonstrations, which have been united in their calls for Mubarak's ouster after 30 years of strongman rule.
Earlier Thursday, Egypt's foreign minister warned that the army could seize control of the country if protesters do not halt the anti-government demonstrations that have been underway for 17 days, a prospect that he called "very grave."
If "adventurers" take over the process of reform, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the satellite channel Al Arabiya, according to the Associated Press, Egypt's military "will be compelled to defend the constitution and national security ... and we'll find ourselves in a very grave situation."
Demonstrators are calling for a "million man" protest Friday.
The Mubarak government had harsh words Wednesday for the United States, a longtime ally. In an interview with "PBS NewsHour," Aboul Gheit said he was "often angry" and "infuriated" with the White House for its criticism of the Egyptian government's response in the early days of the crisis.
He also said Mubarak would not budge on his refusal to resign before his term ends in September. "He thinks it would entail chaos and it would entail violence," Aboul Gheit said.
In Washington, the White House repeated its call for Egypt to take "immediate" steps, including an end to violence and suppression of opposition figures and journalists, the lifting of long-standing emergency laws that restrict civil rights, and a broadening of the government's dialogue with the opposition.
White House officials declined to say what action, if any, the administration would take if the Egyptian government continued to reject its entreaties.
"The Egyptian people are going to be the drivers of the process," said deputy national security adviser Benjamin J. Rhodes. "Our ability to dictate outcomes, that's not something we're able to do. But we are able to make very clear what we expect and what we stand for."
Egypt's opposition leaders met with Suleiman on Sunday, but they have refused to join in further talks, despite a pledge by the vice president to set up committees to study possible constitutional changes. The negotiations will go nowhere, the opposition leaders say, unless Mubarak quits or acts more decisively to meet their demands.
"What is taking place on the ground is a conflict of wills," said Mohammed Mursi, a senior figure with the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist movement that seeks to impose religious rule. "The steadfastness of the people is confronting the stubbornness of the man who heads the regime."
The size of the crowd in Tahrir Square Wednesday and Thursday was modest compared with the unprecedented numbers that packed the city center Tuesday. But organizers were calling for another huge turnout Friday, the start of the Muslim weekend.
Among those joining in the labor unrest were 2,500 textile and steel workers who staged a strike in Suez, following 6,000 workers in the canal zone who had walked out the day before. In towns across the Nile Delta, about 1,500 nurses held a sit-in at a hospital, 800 workers went on strike at a bottling plant and 2,000 more stopped work at steel factories, according to state media reports.
In the industrial city of Mahala, about 24,000 textile factory workers were planning a strike Thursday, said Kamal Abbas, head of the Center for Trade Unions and Workers Services. "These are spontaneous," he said.
Fresh demonstrations erupted in remote corners of the country, including one that led to a confrontation between security police and about 3,000 protesters in the New Valley region, in Egypt's western desert. At least three protesters were killed, state television reported. In Assiut province, about 8,000 protesters blocked the main highway and railroad to Cairo with burning palm trees, then pelted the provincial governor's vehicle with rocks when he tried to talk to them.
Mubarak has refused calls from Washington and European capitals to lift the 30-year-old emergency law and to order the security services to stop harassing activists and journalists. Suleiman also has made clear in recent public statements that the government thinks it has done enough to accommodate protesters.
Any acts of civil disobedience, the vice president said Wednesday, would be "very dangerous for society, and we can't put up with this at all."
Although Suleiman has been the government's public face in talks with opposition factions, Mubarak remains fully in charge, said a Western diplomat in Cairo, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing Egyptian officials. Mubarak has ignored calls to cede power to a transition council while elections are prepared.
Opposition leaders and Western diplomats said it is unclear when or if negotiations will resume. Suleiman "doesn't want to give people any hope that the government will give further inducements," said the diplomat in Cairo. But so far, the diplomat said, "it's not working for them."
"The ball is in their court," Essam el-Erian, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, said of the government.
One complicating factor, the diplomats said, is that the opposition is highly decentralized. No figure has emerged who can speak for a majority of the demonstrators, many of whom have been spurred on by a coterie of young, well-educated Egyptians who have had no previous involvement in politics.
"It's the challenge of dealing with this leaderless phenomenon," said the Western diplomat in Cairo. "These are names, we have to say, that we don't know who they are. And they could be the next leaders of Egypt."
whitlockc@washpost.com fadell@washpost.com londonoe@washpost.com
Special correspondent Samuel Sockol in Cairo and staff writer Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.
Foremost among those demands is the departure of President Hosni Mubarak, who was expected to address the nation later Thursday. In the U.S. CIA Director Leon Panetta said there is a "strong likelihood" that Mubarak will step down this evening.
"All your demands will be met today," Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo area, told protesters massed in the capital's Tahrir Square, who erupted in cheers and chanting. Some in the crowd held up their hands in V-for-victory signs, shouting, "The people want the end of the regime" and "Allahu akbar," or "God is great."
In a sign of confusion, however, Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told state television that Mubarak had made no such decision to resign.
"Everything is normal. Everything is still in the hands of the president," Shafiq said.
The announcement by the military followed a meeting by the country's Supreme Military Council in which the "necessary measures and preparations to protect the nation" were discussed, according to the state MENA news agency. TV footage of the meeting showed that Mubarak, who is head of the council, was not present.
A state television announcer read a communiqué from the council saying the military would "support of the legitimate demands of the people."
The council would remain in permanent session to explore "what measures and arrangements could be made to safeguard the nation, its achievements and the ambitions of its great people," according to the statement.
State television also reported Thursday that a formal corruption investigation has been opened against three former Egyptian government ministers and a former ruling party leader.
Egyptians have been infuriated by newspaper reports that the Mubarak family has amassed billions, and perhaps tens of billions of dollars in wealth while, according to the World Bank, about 40 percent of the country's 80 million people live below or near the poverty line of $2 a day. The family's true net worth is not known.
"We demand a trial of Mubarak and his regime; we are protesting corruption," said Mohammed Zarie, one of the marching lawyers, who said hundreds of lawyers arrived from provinces and planned to spend the night at the square.
Amid the demonstrations, the government also telegraphed more warnings of a strong response to the popular uprising.
Speaking to the Arab news network Al-Arabiya, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said earlier Thursday that if "adventurers" take over the process of reform, the military "will be compelled to defend the constitution and national security ... and we'll find ourselves in a very grave situation."
Gheit's remarks echoed Vice President Omar Suleiman's comments a day before implying that martial law could result if the protesters did not go home.
NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, reporting from Tahrir Square, said protesters are following such statements closely and that the situation has people "quite worried" but nonetheless determined to go forward with a "march of millions" on Friday.
She said there has also been talk that a "stealthy crackdown" has already been taking place. Until recently, the army has remained neutral, but there have been reports that soldiers have begun harassing protesters in the past few days.
"Some of the people that have been trying to get in supplies to the square have disappeared only to re-emerge later with allegations that they have been mistreated by the army," Garcia-Navarro said.
Youth activists organizing the protests called for an expanded rally on Friday, hoping to match demonstrations over the past several weeks that have drawn an estimated quarter-million people or more.
The protesters filling streets of Cairo and other cities since Jan. 25 have already posed the greatest challenge to the president's authoritarian rule since he came to power 30 years ago. They have wrought promises of sweeping concessions and reforms, a new Cabinet and a purge of the ruling party leadership, but Mubarak refuses their demands that he step down before September elections.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch has said about 300 people have been killed since the protests began, but it is still compiling a final toll.
Suleiman has proposed a gradual program for reform, holding discussions with the opposition over constitutional amendments to be approved by referendum by June, paving the way to an election in which Mubarak would not run.
But that outline also preserves a heavy regime hand in directing the reform process, raising suspicion it will not bring real democracy. Youth activists organizing the Tahrir protests have refused to attend any negotiations on reform or to halt demonstrations until Mubarak goes. Not only have they fended off government attempts to fragment their ranks and draw some into talks, their protests have spread.
Despite the negotiations, "most people say they will not talk to the government until Hosni Mubarak is gone — and there's no sign of that happening," Garcia-Navarro said.
One of the few groups that did enter talks with Suleiman — the leftist group Tagammu — announced Thursday that it had broken off contacts over the coup threats. Tagammu is one of the official, government-sanctioned opposition parties that have little public support and no role in the protests, and are seen by protesters as little more than extensions of the regime.
NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro and Corey Flintoff reported from Cairo for this story, which contains material from The Associated Press.
By Craig Whitlock, Leila Fadel and Ernesto Londono
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, February 10, 2011; 10:58 AM
CAIRO -- President Hosni Mubarak will meet the demands of protesters, military and ruling party officials, the Associated Press reported Thursday, in the strongest indication yet that Egypt's longtime president may be about to give up power.
The military's supreme council was meeting Thursday, without Mubarak, its commander in chief, and announced on state TV its "support of the legitimate demands of the people," AP said.
A spokesman said the council was in permanent session to explore "what measures and arrangements could be made to safeguard the nation, its achievements and the ambitions of its great people."
Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo area, told thousands of protesters in central Tahrir Square, "All your demands will be met today."
But the atmosphere remained tense and uncertain, as top government officials remained vague or gave contradictory statements about Mubarak's future.
After the Army's statement, Shafiq, the prime minister, phoned into state television and said that he could neither confirm nor deny any changes at the top. "The president is in his position and we have not received any decision by him to indicate anything new," Shafiq said.
There was no word from Mubarak himself.
Meantime, revolutionary fervor tightened its grip on the country as doctors, lawyers, bus drivers and factory workers marched through the streets.
Hossan Badrawi, the newly appointed secretary general of the National Democratic Party, told the BBC that Mubarak "may be stepping down" and could give a televised address this evening.
Badrawi later appeared on Egyptian state television and acknowledged that the government was considering constitutional amendments, including one related to a "peaceful transfer of power." Asked if that involved Mubarak, Badrawi replied: "No, I don't have specific information. All I can do is offer predictions. And I would predict that that would be a good thing."
Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq also confirmed that discussions were underway at the highest levels of government about Mubarak ceding at least some of his authority.
Egyptian state television reported that the High Council of the Egyptian armed forces met Thursday afternoon and issued a statement, recognizing the "legitimate demands of the people." The armed forces said they would meet later to discuss "all the necessary measures to preserve the nation." The statement did not mention Mubarak and was not more specific, but it heightened anticipation that major changes were in the offing.
Those reports spread quickly throughout the capital, as many tens of thousands of Egyptians converged on Tahrir Square, the plaza that has served as the epicenter of demonstrations that have convulsed the country for the past 17 days.
Outside the parliament, where protesters had blocked a street and camped out in anticipation of even bigger demonstrations on Friday, people shouted and kissed the ground after hearing news reports that Mubarak might relinquish power. But their emotions swung into reverse moments later, when chants of "false report, false report" dashed their hopes.
Protesters have insisted they will not disband until Mubarak is gone. The authoritarian ruler has responded to them with a combination of fist and glove. Security forces rounded up hundreds of activists and harassed journalists last week; since then, Vice President Omar Suleiman has tried to engage in talks with protest leaders. But the government's offers of vague or limited political concessions have done little to stem the demonstrations, which have been united in their calls for Mubarak's ouster after 30 years of strongman rule.
Earlier Thursday, Egypt's foreign minister warned that the army could seize control of the country if protesters do not halt the anti-government demonstrations that have been underway for 17 days, a prospect that he called "very grave."
If "adventurers" take over the process of reform, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the satellite channel Al Arabiya, according to the Associated Press, Egypt's military "will be compelled to defend the constitution and national security ... and we'll find ourselves in a very grave situation."
Demonstrators are calling for a "million man" protest Friday.
The Mubarak government had harsh words Wednesday for the United States, a longtime ally. In an interview with "PBS NewsHour," Aboul Gheit said he was "often angry" and "infuriated" with the White House for its criticism of the Egyptian government's response in the early days of the crisis.
He also said Mubarak would not budge on his refusal to resign before his term ends in September. "He thinks it would entail chaos and it would entail violence," Aboul Gheit said.
In Washington, the White House repeated its call for Egypt to take "immediate" steps, including an end to violence and suppression of opposition figures and journalists, the lifting of long-standing emergency laws that restrict civil rights, and a broadening of the government's dialogue with the opposition.
White House officials declined to say what action, if any, the administration would take if the Egyptian government continued to reject its entreaties.
"The Egyptian people are going to be the drivers of the process," said deputy national security adviser Benjamin J. Rhodes. "Our ability to dictate outcomes, that's not something we're able to do. But we are able to make very clear what we expect and what we stand for."
Egypt's opposition leaders met with Suleiman on Sunday, but they have refused to join in further talks, despite a pledge by the vice president to set up committees to study possible constitutional changes. The negotiations will go nowhere, the opposition leaders say, unless Mubarak quits or acts more decisively to meet their demands.
"What is taking place on the ground is a conflict of wills," said Mohammed Mursi, a senior figure with the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist movement that seeks to impose religious rule. "The steadfastness of the people is confronting the stubbornness of the man who heads the regime."
The size of the crowd in Tahrir Square Wednesday and Thursday was modest compared with the unprecedented numbers that packed the city center Tuesday. But organizers were calling for another huge turnout Friday, the start of the Muslim weekend.
Among those joining in the labor unrest were 2,500 textile and steel workers who staged a strike in Suez, following 6,000 workers in the canal zone who had walked out the day before. In towns across the Nile Delta, about 1,500 nurses held a sit-in at a hospital, 800 workers went on strike at a bottling plant and 2,000 more stopped work at steel factories, according to state media reports.
In the industrial city of Mahala, about 24,000 textile factory workers were planning a strike Thursday, said Kamal Abbas, head of the Center for Trade Unions and Workers Services. "These are spontaneous," he said.
Fresh demonstrations erupted in remote corners of the country, including one that led to a confrontation between security police and about 3,000 protesters in the New Valley region, in Egypt's western desert. At least three protesters were killed, state television reported. In Assiut province, about 8,000 protesters blocked the main highway and railroad to Cairo with burning palm trees, then pelted the provincial governor's vehicle with rocks when he tried to talk to them.
Mubarak has refused calls from Washington and European capitals to lift the 30-year-old emergency law and to order the security services to stop harassing activists and journalists. Suleiman also has made clear in recent public statements that the government thinks it has done enough to accommodate protesters.
Any acts of civil disobedience, the vice president said Wednesday, would be "very dangerous for society, and we can't put up with this at all."
Although Suleiman has been the government's public face in talks with opposition factions, Mubarak remains fully in charge, said a Western diplomat in Cairo, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing Egyptian officials. Mubarak has ignored calls to cede power to a transition council while elections are prepared.
Opposition leaders and Western diplomats said it is unclear when or if negotiations will resume. Suleiman "doesn't want to give people any hope that the government will give further inducements," said the diplomat in Cairo. But so far, the diplomat said, "it's not working for them."
"The ball is in their court," Essam el-Erian, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, said of the government.
One complicating factor, the diplomats said, is that the opposition is highly decentralized. No figure has emerged who can speak for a majority of the demonstrators, many of whom have been spurred on by a coterie of young, well-educated Egyptians who have had no previous involvement in politics.
"It's the challenge of dealing with this leaderless phenomenon," said the Western diplomat in Cairo. "These are names, we have to say, that we don't know who they are. And they could be the next leaders of Egypt."
whitlockc@washpost.com fadell@washpost.com londonoe@washpost.com
Special correspondent Samuel Sockol in Cairo and staff writer Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.
Enlarge Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, pictured during a meeting Tuesday in Cairo, was sworn into office in 1981.
February 10, 2011
Egypt's uprising appeared to have reached a critical point Thursday, as senior military leaders and government officials told protesters in Cairo that "all your demands will be met."Foremost among those demands is the departure of President Hosni Mubarak, who was expected to address the nation later Thursday. In the U.S. CIA Director Leon Panetta said there is a "strong likelihood" that Mubarak will step down this evening.
"All your demands will be met today," Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo area, told protesters massed in the capital's Tahrir Square, who erupted in cheers and chanting. Some in the crowd held up their hands in V-for-victory signs, shouting, "The people want the end of the regime" and "Allahu akbar," or "God is great."
In a sign of confusion, however, Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told state television that Mubarak had made no such decision to resign.
"Everything is normal. Everything is still in the hands of the president," Shafiq said.
The Uprising
LIVE BLOG: Latest Developments In Egypt Feb. 10, 2011
A state television announcer read a communiqué from the council saying the military would "support of the legitimate demands of the people."
The council would remain in permanent session to explore "what measures and arrangements could be made to safeguard the nation, its achievements and the ambitions of its great people," according to the statement.
State television also reported Thursday that a formal corruption investigation has been opened against three former Egyptian government ministers and a former ruling party leader.
Egyptians have been infuriated by newspaper reports that the Mubarak family has amassed billions, and perhaps tens of billions of dollars in wealth while, according to the World Bank, about 40 percent of the country's 80 million people live below or near the poverty line of $2 a day. The family's true net worth is not known.
"We demand a trial of Mubarak and his regime; we are protesting corruption," said Mohammed Zarie, one of the marching lawyers, who said hundreds of lawyers arrived from provinces and planned to spend the night at the square.
Amid the demonstrations, the government also telegraphed more warnings of a strong response to the popular uprising.
Speaking to the Arab news network Al-Arabiya, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said earlier Thursday that if "adventurers" take over the process of reform, the military "will be compelled to defend the constitution and national security ... and we'll find ourselves in a very grave situation."
Gheit's remarks echoed Vice President Omar Suleiman's comments a day before implying that martial law could result if the protesters did not go home.
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Thousands of workers went on strike in unrest that could galvanize anti-government protests. U.S., Israel Focus Talks On Egypt Feb. 10, 2011
She said there has also been talk that a "stealthy crackdown" has already been taking place. Until recently, the army has remained neutral, but there have been reports that soldiers have begun harassing protesters in the past few days.
"Some of the people that have been trying to get in supplies to the square have disappeared only to re-emerge later with allegations that they have been mistreated by the army," Garcia-Navarro said.
Youth activists organizing the protests called for an expanded rally on Friday, hoping to match demonstrations over the past several weeks that have drawn an estimated quarter-million people or more.
The protesters filling streets of Cairo and other cities since Jan. 25 have already posed the greatest challenge to the president's authoritarian rule since he came to power 30 years ago. They have wrought promises of sweeping concessions and reforms, a new Cabinet and a purge of the ruling party leadership, but Mubarak refuses their demands that he step down before September elections.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch has said about 300 people have been killed since the protests began, but it is still compiling a final toll.
Suleiman has proposed a gradual program for reform, holding discussions with the opposition over constitutional amendments to be approved by referendum by June, paving the way to an election in which Mubarak would not run.
But that outline also preserves a heavy regime hand in directing the reform process, raising suspicion it will not bring real democracy. Youth activists organizing the Tahrir protests have refused to attend any negotiations on reform or to halt demonstrations until Mubarak goes. Not only have they fended off government attempts to fragment their ranks and draw some into talks, their protests have spread.
Despite the negotiations, "most people say they will not talk to the government until Hosni Mubarak is gone — and there's no sign of that happening," Garcia-Navarro said.
One of the few groups that did enter talks with Suleiman — the leftist group Tagammu — announced Thursday that it had broken off contacts over the coup threats. Tagammu is one of the official, government-sanctioned opposition parties that have little public support and no role in the protests, and are seen by protesters as little more than extensions of the regime.
NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro and Corey Flintoff reported from Cairo for this story, which contains material from The Associated Press.
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CIA Director Leon Panetta said there is a "strong likelihood" President Hosni Mubarak will resign.The Two-Way
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National Democratic Party Secretary General Hossam Badrawi told that to Britain's Channel 4 News. Anti-Government Protests Roil Egypt
Are Popular Protests A Mortal Threat To Dictators?
The current unrest will have far-reaching effects but it's far from certain other regimes will fall
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