THE pot is boiling....but will it boil over? From the Washington Post....
By Craig Whitlock, Ernesto Londono and Leila Fadel
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, February 11, 2011; 9:40 AM
CAIRO -
Egyptian state television reported that President Hosni Mubarak and his wife left their home in an affluent Cairo suburb Friday, as hundreds of thousands of citizens across the country gathered to demand his ouster.
The televised statement did not say where Mubarak was headed, but the Associated Press, citing a local official, reported that he was going to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik.
The apparent departure came hours after Egypt's military chiefs pledged to back the Mubarak's decision to remain in office, but cede some powers to his hand-picked vice president, Omar Suleiman. The supreme military council said it would guarantee "free and honest" elections after Mubarak's term expires, and a lifting of Egypt's 30-year-old state of emergency once calm returned to the streets. The military encouraged protesters to go home, citing the need to "return to normal life."
Instead, throngs of people gathered cities across the country, and anger and frustration mounted as word spread of the military's stance. "Mubarak must go! He is finished!" protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square shouted as a sea of people waved red-white-and-black Egyptian flags.
The armed forces did not move against the demonstrators.
At the state Television and Radio Tower, which is north of the square and flanks the east bank of the Nile, thousands of protesters toppled makeshift barricades erected by the military and swarmed around the building.
Soldiers stood by and watched. For the moment, protesters did not force entry into the building, instead chanting: "this is the people's army, not Mubarak's army." The television channel, a reliable producer of propaganda for Mubarak, continued to broadcast.
On the Mediterranean coast, massive crowds packed public squares in Alexandria, Egypt's second-largest city, jeering Mubarak and insisting that he resign. Protests also erupted in Suez, where crowds surrounded 10 government buildings, according to the Egyptian news Web site al-Ahram Online. Large demonstrations were also reported in the cities of Tanta, Mahalla and Assuit.
In the affluent Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, a smaller demonstration was underway at Mubarak's presidential palace. There, 26-year-old Taha Nahas predicted that the military's statement would backfire and that Egyptians who had seen the armed forces as an honest protector of their interests would change their minds. "This is what we've heard before from Mubarak and Omar Suleiman," Nahas said. "We have lost our trust in the military. It's a corrupt organization."
A group of counter-demonstrators congregated nearby, chanting support for the president and urging the other side to disperse. Soldiers kept the two sides separated. "We are afraid. If there is anarchy, looters will come to our homes," said Serge Simon, 60, an Armenian-Egyptian pianist from Heliopolis. "What we are seeing here is hooliganism."
In Tahrir Square, scores of thousands prostrated themselves to the muezzin's prayer call at midday, many of them weeping. Organizers of Egypt's popular rebellion predicted the biggest turnout so far in their 18-day revolt.
Parts of the square grew so packed that it was difficult to walk around. Soldiers in riot gear manned entrances to the square, but did not stop those who were streaming in. Dozens of ambulances were parked on nearby side streets.
Protesters said that three soldiers turned in their weapons and joined the protests an hour before Friday prayers. Many chants focused on the need for a civilian, rather than a military, government.
"The military is now in an embarrassing situation," said Tamer Oweiss, 31,, a superviser at Cairo's airport. "They're trying to stand in the middle. They feel loyalty to Mubarak, an officer, but at the same time, they dont want to hurt the people."
The plaza, next to the Nile River, has served as the heartbeat of the rebellion.
In a rambling televised speech late Thursday, Mubarak ceded some authority to Suleiman but refused to quit, insisting that he would stay in office to oversee a drawn-out transfer of power. His defiance stunned and angered hundreds of thousands of protesters in the capital, who responded with chants of "revolution, revolution."
Enormous crowds, which had gathered in anticipation that Mubarak would announce his resignation, expressed disappointment and fury as the message sunk in that the president had no intention of leaving.
"Oh Mubarak, be patient! The people will dig your grave," protesters shouted. As dawn broke Friday, the Muslim holy day and the start of the weekend here, more and more people came to the square.
Around 200 people had gathered at the presidential palace, al-Ouruba, by midday, outside a wall of barbed wire and two tanks. The mood was calm as soldiers directed traffic.
Said Younis, a 26-year-old advertising executive, said he marched 10 miles from Tahrir Square to the presidential palace immediately after Mubarak's speech, arriving about 2 a.m. "He ridiculed us," Younis said. "We want him to hear our voices from up close."
Mubarak "is an idiot," said Ahmed Suleiman, 62, a physician. "We're very upset about what he said yesterday.
Some protesters vowed to storm the palace. But others appealed for restraint, saying they would not clash with the military.
"The people and the army are continuing their march together!" they chanted.
Younis said military officers stationed at the palace offered their sympathy and support, providing tea and juice to the handful of protesters who pulled an all-night vigil. "They told us, 'Don't worry, we will never fire on you,' " he said.
Outside the palace gate, some protesters appealed to soldiers across the barbed wire to join their cause.
"I'm with you!" one officer shouted back.
"Then come to this side!" one woman demanded.
Mubarak's rejection of the rebellion capped a confusing day of contradictory messages, exultant expectations and, ultimately, flattened hopes. It left Egyptians and the rest of the world anxious and afraid of how the conflict would unfold in the hours and days ahead.
"This stalemate cannot continue forever," Finance Minister Samir Radwan told BBC radio. "I think the military is highly disciplined and they have taken a decision not to fire at the young people."
Some opposition leaders warned that Mubarak was risking a bloody revolt.
"There is no way the Egyptian people right now are ready to accept either the president or the vice president," Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader, told CNN. "They have lost all authority, all legitimacy. . . . My fear is that the situation will turn violent."
The developments not only shocked Egyptians but seemed to catch the world by surprise, including the highest levels of the U.S. government. In a written statement, President Obama said "it is not yet clear'' whether the transition to democracy pledged by Mubarak would be "immediate, meaningful or sufficient.''
Earlier Thursday, CIA Director Leon Panetta told Congress that "there is a strong likelihood that Mubarak may step down this evening." In an afternoon speech to university students in Michigan, Obama gave no indication that he expected otherwise, calling the events in Egypt "a moment of transformation that's taking place because the people of Egypt are calling for change."
After 17 days of swelling protests and labor unrest, demonstrators in Cairo thought they were on the cusp of forcing Mubarak from power Thursday afternoon when Egypt's military chiefs pledged in unequivocal-sounding language that they backed the protesters' goals.
Crowds had thundered their approval when Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo region, strode into the square and declared: "All your demands will be met today."
Anticipation soared even higher when Egypt's supreme military council announced that it had convened an emergency session - in its commander in chief's absence. In a statement, the military chiefs pledged "support for the legitimate demands of the people" and promised "to oversee their interests and security."
About five hours later, at 10:45 p.m., Mubarak addressed the nation on television from his palace. Standing next to an Egyptian flag, he tried to assure the public that he had heard their grievances.
He promised to investigate the deaths of an estimated 300 people during the demonstrations, which began Jan. 25. But he took no responsibility for the actions of his police and security forces, which have been widely accused of instigating the violence.
"I speak to the youth of Egypt in Tahrir Square and all around Egypt. I speak to you as a father speaks to his children," he said. "I say to you before anything else that the blood of your martyrs will not be in vain and that I will hold perpetrators to account."
"I say to you that my response to your message and your demands is a commitment that I will not go back on," he said. "I believe that the majority of Egyptians know who is Hosni Mubarak, and it hurts me how some Egyptians talk about me."
But as he continued for 15 minutes, he never uttered the lines that many assumed were coming, instead insisting that he would remain in office until the end of his term in September so he could oversee what he called a transition to "free and transparent" elections.
"This is the pledge that I've made before God and the nation, and I swear that I will honor this pledge," he said. "I have lived for the sake of this nation. I will not leave it nor depart it until I am buried in the ground."
Mubarak said he was transferring power to his vice president, Omar Suleiman, Egypt's longtime intelligence chief. He also said he had ordered several constitutional amendments. One would expand the field of candidates eligible to run to succeed him in September, and another would provide for judicial monitoring of elections.
Afterward, Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's ambassador to the United States, asserted that Mubarak had transferred all authority to Suleiman, making the latter the de facto president. "For undertaking all decisions and responsibilities under the constitution, it is Omar Suleiman," the ambassador told CNN.
But there were few signs that Mubarak was about to recede into the background, and few Egyptians believed that he had entirely relinquished his control of the state.
Shortly after Mubarak finished speaking, Suleiman followed with a televised address in which he defended his boss and tried to soothe widespread concerns that Egypt's revolutionary struggle could turn ugly.
"The president puts the supreme interests of the country above everything else. He has empowered me to preserve its achievements and restore stability and happiness," Suleiman said. "We have opened the door to dialogue, and the door is still open to dialogue."
Earlier in the week, Suleiman had made public statements in which he warned protesters that they faced a choice between a "coup" and a "dialogue" and implied that a military crackdown was possible. On Thursday night, he once again urged demonstrators to back off, saying it was for the good of the country.
"Youth of Egypt, go back home. Go back to work. The nation needs your efforts to create and build a bright future," Suleiman said. "Do not listen to television and radio reports and foreign influences whose aim is just to cause chaos and tarnish Egypt's image."
The allusion to outside intervention echoed a warning from Mubarak, whose advisers have expressed anger with the United States, Egypt's longtime ally, for sternly urging the Cairo regime to repeal its state-of-emergency law and to embrace democratic reforms.
"We will prove that we are not followers or puppets of anybody, nor we are receiving orders or dictations from anybody," Mubarak said. "No one is making the decision for us."
The audio of Mubarak's speech was broadcast on loudspeakers mounted in Tahrir Square. His remarks were repeatedly interrupted by the crowd, which shouted, "Go away, go away," even as most people strained to listen so they could comprehend the president's message.
As Mubarak concluded, the response was instantaneous and ear-splitting. "The people want to put the president on trial," the crowd roared. There seemed to be little doubt that the speech had set the stage for decisive and possibly violent confrontation.
"He was provoking us," said Osama Hassan, a 35-year-old Cairo resident. "What he's doing is putting us in conflict with the military. This here is a camp of revolution. And he will need the military to get us out."
After the speech, the European Union signaled a tougher line on Mubarak's handling of the unrest.
"The demands and expectations of the Egyptian people must be met," said Catherine Ashton, the E.U. high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. She added: "The time for change is now."
Special correspondent Samuel Sockol and staff writer Linda Davidson in Cairo and staff writer William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report.
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 labor strike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label labor strike. Show all posts
11 February 2011
10 February 2011
Who Is Omar Suleiman? & What's Happening in Egypt Explained (UPDATED) 10FEB11
THURSDAY'S What's Happening In Egypt blog entries from Nick Baumann and Mother Jones.....and click the link to read the article on the torturer omar suleiman...
UPDATE 163, Thursday, Feb. 10, 11:20 a.m. EST/6:20 p.m. Cairo: It turns out, via Sultan al Qassemi, that the BBC was talking to Hossam Badrawi, the Secretary General of Egypt's ruling party, the NDP, not to Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik. He told the BBC that "I don't know" where Mubarak is right now. For what it's worth, Egypt's information minister says it's all just a rumor and Mubarak will not step down. NBC, meanwhile, says it has two sources, including the military, and confirmation that Mubarak will speak tonight.
UPDATE 164, Thursday, Feb. 10, 12:15 p.m. EST/7:15 p.m. Cairo: VP Omar Suleiman, of lack-of-squeamishness-about-torture fame, is meeting with Mubarak now, state television channel Nile TV claims. And the BBC reports that opposition leaders believe Mubarak's message to the country has been pre-recorded to give the ruler time to flee in advance of the speech.
UPDATE 165, Thursday, Feb. 10, 12:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. Cairo: Mubarak is reportedly scheduled to speak around 2:30 p.m. EST/9:30 p.m. Cairo today. Also, check out this WikiLeaks cable. It recounts a meeting Richard Posner, a top State Department official, had with Egyptian human rights activists in January 2010. Key quote: Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights Executive Director Hossam Bahgat... "asserted that many Egyptians believe the [government of Egypt] has interpreted the current administration's relative 'silence' on human rights and political issues as a signal of support." You can bet that supporting famed torturer Omar Suleiman to succeed Mubarak won't do much to dispel that perception.
UPDATE 166, Thursday, Feb. 10, 1:15 p.m. EST/8:15 p.m. Cairo: Fox News is reporting Mubarak will step down and hand power to a "military council." Foreign Policy's Blake Hounshell quotes opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei: "There is no credibility in either Mubarak or Suleiman or anybody who is associated with that regime."
UPDATE 167, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2:08 p.m. EST/9:08 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): President Obama just spoke about the events in Egypt, and directed his message at the Egyptian youth. "We're watching history," he said, adding that the Egyptian people are looking for "irreversible change" and that the US will support an orderly transition to democracy.
UPDATE 168, Thursday, Feb. 10, 3:41 p.m. EST/10:41 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): Via Al Jazeera: Reuters is reporting that sources in the Middle East say that Mubarak will not announce his resignation and will, instead, lift emergency law. Smart money says that's not going to do it for the protestors.
UPDATE 169, Thursday, Feb. 10, 4:17 p.m. EST/11:17 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): Mubarak didn’t make history with his speech. And he isn’t going anywhere. Addressing the nation's youth just now, he promised not to "relent to penalize" those responsible for the violence that racked Tahrir square. "My heart went out and I felt the pain as you did. I tell you, that my response to your voice and message and your demands is a commitment that cannot be waived," he said. Continuing to affirm his lifelong commitment to defending his country, he made clear he "remains adamant to shoulder" his presidential responsibilty and stay in office till September's elections. He did promise to amend the constitution, in an indication that some reforms might be on the way that scrap the 30-year state of emergency. But he also railed on foreign interlocuters and their attempt to shape events in Egypt. The mood in Tahrir Square took an immediate turn for the worse, with furious protestors hurling their shoes during the address.
UPDATE 170, Thursday, Feb. 10, 5:45 p.m. EST/11:45 p.m. Cairo: Foreign Policy's Marc Lynch has a great take on what he calls "the worst speech ever." "It's hard to exaggerate how bad Hosni Mubarak's speech today was for Egypt." Lynch says Mubarak's address and VP Omar Suleiman's followup means "Things could get ugly tonight—and if things don't explode now, then the crowds tomorrow will be absolutely massive. Whatever happens, for better or for worse, the prospects of an orderly, negotiated transition led by Omar Suleiman have just plummeted sharply." Speaking of Omar Suleiman, we've just published an explainer about who Omar Suleiman is. Read it: Who is Omar Suleiman?
Omar Suleiman, the recently appointed Vice President of Egypt, may soon become the most powerful man in that country. Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt for 30 years, appeared set to step down on Thursday night. (He didn't, but he still could.) Weeks of protests, riots, and violence have shaken the Mubarak regime's grip on power. There's no guarantee that the end of Mubarak's reign would mean democracy or even civilian rule for the largest Arab country. Opposition leader (and Nobel laureate) Mohamed ElBaradei has said, "there is no credibility in either Mubarak or Suleiman or anybody who is associated with that regime." But soon, Suleiman could be running the show, no matter what ElBaradei thinks. So who is this guy?
He's a spy: Prior to becoming Mubarak's official No. 2, Suleiman, was for nearly two decades, the head of Egypt's intelligence service, the famed (and feared) Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (EGID).
He's a torturer: As the New Yorker's Jane Mayer noted in her book The Dark Side (read it!), Suleiman managed the Egyptian end of Clinton- and Bush-era "extraordinary renditions," in which people whom the US suspected of torture were flown to Egypt ("rendered") and tortured. (Stephen Grey's Ghost Plane and Ron Suskind's The One Percent Doctrine also feature material on Suleiman's role in torture.) As noted in Mother Jones' Egypt explainer, Mayer quoted Edward Walker, the former US ambassador to Egypt, who described Suleiman as "not squeamish." MoJo's Jim Ridgeway has more on Suleiman's role in torture.
UPDATE 160, Thursday, Feb. 10, 10:30 a.m. EST (Siddhartha Mahanta): It's day 17 of the anti-Mubarak full court press.
- Egyptian labor unions continue their nationwide strikes. Al Jazeera reports that thousands of doctors, lawyers, artists, and public transport workers marched through central Cairo and into Tahrir Square today. But its reporters also note that the marches "are more of an economic nature," and don’t necessarily suggest that the unions have merged their demonstrations with that of the political protestors. Meanwhlie, the Ministry of Interior has launched an investigation into the senior officer gave orders fire on protesters back on January 28.
- Josh Rogin has the latest scoop from the homefront on the conflicting messages the White House and State Department have been sending. The key point of contention: the role of Vice President Omar Suleiman in the reform process. Foggy Bottom and the White House have agreed on three core principles: non-violence, respect for universal rights, and the need for political change. But "[t]he State Department is advocating a hosted dinner, where the power still resides with the incumbents," the New America Foundation's Steve Clemons told Rogin. "That's not good enough for the White House."
- Via Democarcy Now, listen to the The Independent's veteran Middle East correspondent, Robert Fisk, on how Washington has failed the protestors. "When the democrats came onto the streets of Cairo and wanted what Obama had advertised to them, it was Obama who clenched his fist and Hillary Clinton who said that it’s a stable regime. Only now, when they realize that perhaps Mubarak is going to go, mainly because the army want to get rid of him," he says.
- And The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler does an exhaustive fact check on Obama administration's statements on Egypt.
UPDATE 161, Thursday, Feb. 10, 11:00 a.m. EST/6:00 p.m. Cairo: Egypt's prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, has told the BBC that Mubarak may step down. "This could be the day that changes everything," according to Al Jazeera. There was a meeting of Egypt's Higher Army Council today and Mubarak did not attend.
UPDATE 162, Thursday, Feb. 10, 11:05 a.m. EST/6:05 p.m Cairo: Things are moving quickly. Al Jazeera says CIA chief Leon Panetta has said there is a "strong indication" Mubarak will step down tonight. NBC News is running with the story, saying that Mubarak will definitely step down. UPDATE: A CIA spokesman now tells Politico: "Panetta was relaying news reports that emerged just as hearing began not speaking about independent CIA information."UPDATE 163, Thursday, Feb. 10, 11:20 a.m. EST/6:20 p.m. Cairo: It turns out, via Sultan al Qassemi, that the BBC was talking to Hossam Badrawi, the Secretary General of Egypt's ruling party, the NDP, not to Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik. He told the BBC that "I don't know" where Mubarak is right now. For what it's worth, Egypt's information minister says it's all just a rumor and Mubarak will not step down. NBC, meanwhile, says it has two sources, including the military, and confirmation that Mubarak will speak tonight.
UPDATE 164, Thursday, Feb. 10, 12:15 p.m. EST/7:15 p.m. Cairo: VP Omar Suleiman, of lack-of-squeamishness-about-torture fame, is meeting with Mubarak now, state television channel Nile TV claims. And the BBC reports that opposition leaders believe Mubarak's message to the country has been pre-recorded to give the ruler time to flee in advance of the speech.
UPDATE 165, Thursday, Feb. 10, 12:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. Cairo: Mubarak is reportedly scheduled to speak around 2:30 p.m. EST/9:30 p.m. Cairo today. Also, check out this WikiLeaks cable. It recounts a meeting Richard Posner, a top State Department official, had with Egyptian human rights activists in January 2010. Key quote: Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights Executive Director Hossam Bahgat... "asserted that many Egyptians believe the [government of Egypt] has interpreted the current administration's relative 'silence' on human rights and political issues as a signal of support." You can bet that supporting famed torturer Omar Suleiman to succeed Mubarak won't do much to dispel that perception.
UPDATE 166, Thursday, Feb. 10, 1:15 p.m. EST/8:15 p.m. Cairo: Fox News is reporting Mubarak will step down and hand power to a "military council." Foreign Policy's Blake Hounshell quotes opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei: "There is no credibility in either Mubarak or Suleiman or anybody who is associated with that regime."
UPDATE 167, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2:08 p.m. EST/9:08 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): President Obama just spoke about the events in Egypt, and directed his message at the Egyptian youth. "We're watching history," he said, adding that the Egyptian people are looking for "irreversible change" and that the US will support an orderly transition to democracy.
UPDATE 168, Thursday, Feb. 10, 3:41 p.m. EST/10:41 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): Via Al Jazeera: Reuters is reporting that sources in the Middle East say that Mubarak will not announce his resignation and will, instead, lift emergency law. Smart money says that's not going to do it for the protestors.
UPDATE 169, Thursday, Feb. 10, 4:17 p.m. EST/11:17 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): Mubarak didn’t make history with his speech. And he isn’t going anywhere. Addressing the nation's youth just now, he promised not to "relent to penalize" those responsible for the violence that racked Tahrir square. "My heart went out and I felt the pain as you did. I tell you, that my response to your voice and message and your demands is a commitment that cannot be waived," he said. Continuing to affirm his lifelong commitment to defending his country, he made clear he "remains adamant to shoulder" his presidential responsibilty and stay in office till September's elections. He did promise to amend the constitution, in an indication that some reforms might be on the way that scrap the 30-year state of emergency. But he also railed on foreign interlocuters and their attempt to shape events in Egypt. The mood in Tahrir Square took an immediate turn for the worse, with furious protestors hurling their shoes during the address.
UPDATE 170, Thursday, Feb. 10, 5:45 p.m. EST/11:45 p.m. Cairo: Foreign Policy's Marc Lynch has a great take on what he calls "the worst speech ever." "It's hard to exaggerate how bad Hosni Mubarak's speech today was for Egypt." Lynch says Mubarak's address and VP Omar Suleiman's followup means "Things could get ugly tonight—and if things don't explode now, then the crowds tomorrow will be absolutely massive. Whatever happens, for better or for worse, the prospects of an orderly, negotiated transition led by Omar Suleiman have just plummeted sharply." Speaking of Omar Suleiman, we've just published an explainer about who Omar Suleiman is. Read it: Who is Omar Suleiman?
Who Is Omar Suleiman?
| Thu Feb. 10, 2011 2:35 PM PST
He's a spy: Prior to becoming Mubarak's official No. 2, Suleiman, was for nearly two decades, the head of Egypt's intelligence service, the famed (and feared) Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (EGID).
He's a torturer: As the New Yorker's Jane Mayer noted in her book The Dark Side (read it!), Suleiman managed the Egyptian end of Clinton- and Bush-era "extraordinary renditions," in which people whom the US suspected of torture were flown to Egypt ("rendered") and tortured. (Stephen Grey's Ghost Plane and Ron Suskind's The One Percent Doctrine also feature material on Suleiman's role in torture.) As noted in Mother Jones' Egypt explainer, Mayer quoted Edward Walker, the former US ambassador to Egypt, who described Suleiman as "not squeamish." MoJo's Jim Ridgeway has more on Suleiman's role in torture.
He's a close ally of the US: Because of his work on rendition and other intelligence-related cooperation, Suleiman may have an even better relationship with American officials than Mubarak did. "Suave, sophisticated, and fluent in English, he has served for years as the main conduit between the United States and Mubarak," Mayer wrote last month. A 2006 State Department cable released by WikiLeaks notes, "our intelligence collaboration with Omar Soliman... is now probably the most successful element of the relationship" between the US and the government of Egypt.
This makes any succession that puts Suleiman in power a win for the intelligence community.
He was trained by communists: Paging Glenn Beck! Suleiman received his initial military training in Egypt, but he finished up at Moscow's Frunze Military Academy—in what was then the Soviet Union.
He's fought Arabs and Israelis: The 73-year-old Suleiman is a veteran of Egypt's 1967 and 1973 (Yom Kippur) wars with Israel and the 1962 civil war in Yemen.
He's the Muslim Brotherhood's worst nightmare: Suleiman's intelligence forces don't just interrogate people who are rendered to them by the US. They also go after internal dissidents—especially Islamists. Reuters says he was "the mastermind behind the fragmentation of Islamist groups who led the uprising against the state in the 1990s."
He helped get the phony "intelligence" that led to the Iraq war: One of the renditions Suleiman reportedly handled was that of Ibn Shaikh al-Libi. I wrote about the case after reports emerged of al-Libi's mysterious death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Libyan jail in May 2009:
He may have been connected to the death of torture subject Ibn Shaikh al-Libi, one expert believes: Terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann has said that "Al-Libi’s death coincided with the first visit by Egypt’s spymaster Omar Suleiman to Tripoli." Al Jazeera's Lisa Hajjar explains:
Learn More: Jane Mayer | Bill Moyers Journal | ABC News | Al Jazeera | Mother Jones: Al Libi's Suicide | Mother Jones: Al Libi and the Case for War
This makes any succession that puts Suleiman in power a win for the intelligence community.
He was trained by communists: Paging Glenn Beck! Suleiman received his initial military training in Egypt, but he finished up at Moscow's Frunze Military Academy—in what was then the Soviet Union.
He's fought Arabs and Israelis: The 73-year-old Suleiman is a veteran of Egypt's 1967 and 1973 (Yom Kippur) wars with Israel and the 1962 civil war in Yemen.
He's the Muslim Brotherhood's worst nightmare: Suleiman's intelligence forces don't just interrogate people who are rendered to them by the US. They also go after internal dissidents—especially Islamists. Reuters says he was "the mastermind behind the fragmentation of Islamist groups who led the uprising against the state in the 1990s."
He helped get the phony "intelligence" that led to the Iraq war: One of the renditions Suleiman reportedly handled was that of Ibn Shaikh al-Libi. I wrote about the case after reports emerged of al-Libi's mysterious death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Libyan jail in May 2009:
Al-Libi was the man whose false confession, obtained under torture, of a link between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda provided the Bush administration with its casus belli for war with Iraq. It didn't seem to matter that al-Libi's claim that Bin Laden had sent operatives to be trained in the use of weapons of mass destruction by Hussein's people didn't make any sense. "They were killing me," al-Libi later told the FBI about his torturers. "I had to tell them something." [Michael Isikoff and Mother Jones' own David Corn were the first to report on these comments, which they revealed in their 2007 book Hubris.] A bipartisan Senate Intelligence committee report would later conclude that al-Libi lied about the link "to avoid torture."Secretary of State Colin Powell cited al-Libi's confession when he argued the case for the Iraq war to the United Nations in February 2003.
He may have been connected to the death of torture subject Ibn Shaikh al-Libi, one expert believes: Terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann has said that "Al-Libi’s death coincided with the first visit by Egypt’s spymaster Omar Suleiman to Tripoli." Al Jazeera's Lisa Hajjar explains:
Kohlmann surmises and opines that, after al-Libi recounted his story about about an al-Qaeda–Saddam-WMD connection, "The Egyptians were embarassed by this admission—and the Bush government found itself in hot water internationally. Then, in May 2009, Omar Suleiman saw an opportunity to get even with al-Libi and travelled to Tripoli. By the time Omar Suleiman's plane left Tripoli, Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi had committed 'suicide'."
Learn More: Jane Mayer | Bill Moyers Journal | ABC News | Al Jazeera | Mother Jones: Al Libi's Suicide | Mother Jones: Al Libi and the Case for War
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
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- 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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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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