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Protesters Amass in Cairo for
'Day of Departure' for Mubarak
AP/The Independent
The Egyptian military guarded thousands of protesters pouring into Cairo's main
square today in an attempt to drive out President Hosni Mubarak after a week and
half of pro-democracy demonstrations. The Obama administration, meanwhile, said
it was in talks with top Egyptian officials about the possibility of Mubarak
immediately resigning, and an interim government forming before free and fair
elections this year.
Egyptian Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi and senior army officials visited the
square this morning and soldiers were checking IDs and performing body searches
at its entrances, a sign that Egypt's most powerful institution was sanctioning
the demonstration.
The atmosphere was calm after two days of battles between pro- and anti-Mubarak
crowds battling with rains of stones broken out of the street and shields
fashioned out of sheet metal from a construction site. Gangs backing Mubarak
attacked journalists and human rights activists across Cairo yesterday, while
others were detained by soldiers.
US officials said the creation of a military-backed caretaker government was one
of several ideas being discussed between the Egyptian regime and the Obama
administration...Among the options was a proposal for Mubarak to resign
immediately and cede power to a transitional government run by Vice President
Omar Suleiman, the officials said...
Suleiman said today he had invited the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood into
negotiations over Egypt's future and the transition to democracy — a stunning
concession to a group that the regime considers its worst enemy and has cracked
down on ferociously in the past years.
The Brotherhood has rushed to take a stronger role in the unprecedented protests
that erupted 10 days ago, led by more secular young activists demanding the
ouster of Mubarak. The Brotherhood's strength was on display in the pitched
battles Wednesday and yesterday against government supporters who attacked the
protesters' camp in Cairo's central Tahrir Square before they were driven from
the square by the pro-democracy forces.
Brothers — distinguishable by their close-cropped beards — dominated the front
lines, often lining up to pray for "victory or martyrdom," before throwing
themselves into the fray, hurling stones, sticks and firebombs at the attackers
while shouting "God is great."
Amr Said, a 41-year-old chemist who said he is a Brotherhood supporter, told The
Associated Press in Tahrir Square this morning that "our instructions are not to
assume a role that is too visible at the moment, and to get along with all other
groups including and leftist and liberals...We also refrain from making our
typically brotherhood chants and when one of us does, we quickly shut him up,"
he said.
The potential of the Brotherhood gaining greater power has clearly weighed on
the United States as it presses Mubarak to bow out. US officials have said they
want the transition to democracy to be stable to prevent any group from imposing
its ideology.
The editor of the Muslim Brotherhood's website told the AP that policemen
stormed its office this morning and arrested 10 to 15 of its journalists. Abdel
Galil el-Sharnoubi said that the website was also being blocked. |
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