More killed in fresh Cairo clashes

There are reports that at least two people have been killed in a fresh outbreak of shooting in central Cairo's Tahrir Square.But witnesses in the centre of the violence claim anti-government protesters are running from bullets and that six people are dead from heavy gunfire which has been raging for almost two hours.

Witnesses also said there were many people wounded by fire coming from the October Bridge where partisans of embattled president Hosni Mubarak are positioned.
The barrage erupted in the early hours of Thursday morning (local time), after a day which saw pitched battles between pro- and anti-government supporters on the streets of the Egyptian capital.
An anti-government protester in the square told Al Jazeera that protesters were being shot at and women and children were caught in the middle of the violence.
"People are too tired to be terrified ... We cannot go back at this point," she said.
"We cannot trust a government that is sending thugs to kill us."Al Arabiya television quoted a doctor at the scene as saying one protester was killed and two more were injured by stones.
Another witness said as many as 15 people had been wounded.
Protesters have barricaded the square against supporters of Mr Mubarak who are trying to penetrate the makeshift cordon.
"This place will turn into a slaughterhouse very soon if the army does not intervene," said Ahmed Maher, who saw pro-Mubarak supporters with swords and knives.
Urging protesters to clear the streets, the armed forces told them their demands had been heard after Mr Mubarak announced that he would be not be contesting Egypt's next election later this year.
But some protesters were determined to occupy the square until Mr Mubarak quits.
Earlier, three people were reported dead and around 1,500 injured after protesters were attacked by what they said were paid thugs hired by Mr Mubarak's regime.
Pro-government partisans on camel and horseback charged demonstrators while others threw concrete blocks and makeshift petrol bombs.
Egypt's new vice-president, Omar Suleiman, has called on anti-government demonstrators to quit their protests, saying talks with the opposition will not go ahead until calm returns to the streets.
Meanwhile, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has condemned the "shocking" bloody clashes that have rocked Cairo.
The State Department said Ms Clinton had called Mr Suleiman, telling him the violence "was a shocking development after many days of consistently peaceful demonstrations".
"The secretary urged that the government of Egypt hold accountable those who were responsible for violent acts," the state department added in a statement.
"Secretary Clinton also underscored the important role that the Egyptian Armed Forces have played in exercising restraint in the face of peaceful demonstrations and expressed concern that all parties recommit themselves to using only peaceful means of assembly."

Egyptian military's idleness raises questions

The fiery, bloody clashes between demonstrators in Cairo -- with soldiers watching with seeming indifference -- is an apparent maneuver by the Egyptian military to raise popular support for their intervention and the old guard police state, analysts say.
Egyptian state television on Wednesday went so far as to portray the protesters as members of a radical fringe and bluntly stated: "Let the military take over and protect you and Egypt."
"We have confirmed reports that there are radical elements heading to cause internal strife. They have balls of fire and they want to start fire in the Tahrir (Liberation) Square," Egyptian television said.
Much international media coverage has focused on the violence in Cairo's Liberation Square between antagonists and protagonists for embattled President Hosni Mubarak. It remained unclear whether such confrontations were being repeated elsewhere. Contesting rallies in Egypt's second-largest city, Alexandria, were largely peaceful. Other Cairo neighborhoods also remained calm.
But Wednesday's events in Liberation Square highlighted pro-Mubarak demonstrators charging -- dramatically on horseback and camels -- anti-Mubarak protesters, the first sign of a counter-demonstration after days of mass anti-government protests.
In stark juxtaposition, as the violence unfolded, the army did nothing.
"The military's refusal to act is a highly political act which shows that it is allowing the Egyptian regime to reconstitute itself at the top and is highly, utterly against the protesters," said Joshua Stacher, assistant professor of political science at Kent State University and an expert on Egypt. He was among more than a dozen Middle East experts who met Monday with three White House National Security Council officials to talk about the Egyptian crisis.
The absence of military action serves two purposes, Stacher said.
"(One,) make the protesters go home, and two, scare the population that isn't protesting," Stacher said. "They want the Egyptian people to submit to the police state, and they want the people to pine for their police state so that they have stability back."
"It's getting really ruthless," Stacher added.
In Egypt, Vice President Omar Suleiman issued a statement saying that dialogue with opposition forces, as ordered by Mubarak, won't begin until the demonstrations stop. Mubarak had incited another round of protests Tuesday when he said he would wait until the September elections to step down. Demonstrators said they wanted an immediate exit by Mubarak.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has begun a round of discussions with Suleiman as the Egyptian government has begun defending the pace of change and pushing back against American criticism, according to a senior U.S. official.
Egypt's president is going to move at his own pace and not be pressured by Obama and other world leaders, an Egyptian government official told CNN.
At the same time, a senior U.S. official is expressing concern about Mubarak's ties to the violence in Cairo.
U.S. officials are suspicious that Mubarak loyalists unleashed pro-Mubarak forces to intimidate protesters, the U.S. official said. "Perhaps" Mubarak is making a mess that only he can "solve," the source added.
In a public statement, the spokesman for the State Department called for restraint.
"The use of violence to intimidate the Egyptian people must stop. We strongly call for restraint," P.J. Crowley said in a statement Wednesday.
However, an Egyptian government official said the government has a "serious problem" in how the Obama administration has been "spinning" the events yesterday to give the impression that Mubarak's statement was given under pressure or a "nudge" from Obama.
Robert Kagan of the Brookings Institute said the military appears to be facilitating the pro-government demonstrators in Cairo.
"It tells me that the military doesn't appear to be playing the neutral, benevolent role that we hoped it would," Kagan told CNN. "It does appear to be not only allowing these brutal pro-government thugs to come in and attack the protesters but maybe even facilitating it, which raises very serious questions about what role the military intends to play in this whole period of transition.
"It's a very cynical move which I hope the rest of the world, and particularly the United States, don't fall for," Kagan said.
Michele Dunne, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said it was unclear what the military's agenda is.
"Does this mean they're committed to Mubarak, or does it mean that perhaps they're giving him one last chance, one last try to see if he can get control of the streets and get the demonstrators out?" Dunne told CNN.
"I think today we saw a very ugly face of this regime. These are tactics that are well-known in Egypt and have been used many times before -- to send regime thugs to break up peaceful demonstrations," she said.

Video of fierce Egypt clashes as pro-govt crowds attack anti-Mubarak protesters

A democratic Egypt won't threaten peace with Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that if democracy prevails in Egypt then it will not pose a threat to peace with Israel.
"All those who value freedom are inspired by the calls for democratic reforms in Egypt," Netanyahu said during a speech to the Knesset. "An Egypt that will adopt these reforms will be a source of hope for the world. As much as the foundations for democracy are stronger, the foundations for peace are stronger."
The prime minister said that there is a risk that instability in Egypt could last for years, and called for "bolstering Israel's might" in response to the turmoil.
"The basis of our stability, our future and for maintaining peace or widening it, particularly in unstable times, this basis lies in bolstering Israel's might," he added, in his toughest response yet to the week of protests in Egypt.
Netanyahu said that Israel expects any new government in Egypt to respect the peace treaty with Israel, and warned that Iran wants Egypt to turn into Gaza. He also stressed that Israel supports forces which advance freedom and peace, and opposes forces who promote terror and war.

After eight days of anti-government protests in Egypt, riots turned violent on Wednesday as hundreds were reported wounded in clashes between supporters of Egypt President Hosni Mubarak and anti-government protesters.
On Monday, Netanyahu met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and warned that what happened in Iran could happen in Egypt.
"Our real fear is of a situation that could develop ... and which has already developed in several countries including Iran itself -- repressive regimes of radical Islam," said Netanyahu.
Netanyahu continued, adding that although the protests may not be motivated by religious extremism, "in a situation of chaos, an organized Islamist body can seize control of a country. It happened in Iran. It happened in other instances".

Press TV Blames "Mubarak Thugs" for Clashes

Egyptian clashes leave 3 dead, hundreds hurt

Anti-government demonstrators and supporters of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak clashed repeatedly in Cairo on Wednesday leaving three people dead and more than 611 wounded.
Shortly after 11 p.m local time, the two groups faced each other in the city's Tahrir Square. Many flaming projectiles were thrown and some demonstrators set up barricades to protect themselves.

CBC's David Common said a large amount of gunfire could be heard in the square. The gunfire appeared to be coming from military forces who were firing into the air, he said.
"There is chaos in the streets of Cairo tonight," he said.
The opposing demonstrators ignored an order from the military to go home.
Egypt has been in upheaval now for nine days. On Tuesday, Mubarak said he would not run in September elections, a move that will end his 30 years in office. However, anti-government protesters keep insisting Mubarak must step down immediately.
Three fatalities
Health Minister Ahmed Farid said two young men were taken from Tahrir Square in ambulances. He said one man was already dead, while the other died in hospital.
The third man died when he fell from a bridge near the square. Farid said the man was wearing civilian clothes but may have been a member of the security forces.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2011/02/02/egypt-mubarak-military.html#ixzz1CqD7nP5m

Arab Leaders Trying to Keep Heads Above Waves of Mideast Protests

By JIM SCIUTTO

As popular protests spread from Egypt and Tunisia to Jordan, Yemen and beyond, governments in those countries -- most of them U.S. allies -- are fighting to stay ahead of the curve and stay in power.
Jordan's King Abdullah dissolved his government today and appointed a new prime minister, giving it a mandate, according to an advisor to the king, for "effective, tangible and real political reform."
The reform is intended to include a new election law encouraging a multi-party system, but does not set a date for elections.
Striking a hopeful tone despite the growing popular unrest inside Jordan and around the region, advisor to King Abdullah and now former deputy prime minister Ayman Safadi told ABC News, "King Abdullah is the strongest ally for reform. With Tunisia and Egypt, there is a new dynamic in the region. To the extent which it applies depends on the political environment in each country. The king is turning a crisis into an opportunity."
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has appointed a vice president and instructed him to negotiate with the opposition.
Tunisia's interim government, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi, reshuffled the cabinet removing some key figures associated with the ousted former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. But Tunisia is struggling to contain insistent protests and sporadic violence.
In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh increased wages and cut income taxes this week, and today announced that will address a special meeting of the consultative council, hoping to take some of the steam out of a "day of rage" planned for Thursday.
The question is: will those moves satisfy the opposition growing in confidence and ambitions?
In Egypt, the answer appears to be a resounding no. Protesters there are calling for nothing less than Mubarak's departure. In Yemen, the opposition says it is "too late" for dialogue. In Tunisia, they're calling for the removal of all senior officials tied to the ousted president.
In Jordan, it remains to be seen whether a new government announced today will satisfy the thousands demonstrating in six cities there.
Meanwhile, Syria is bracing itself for its own unrest, as online organizers there take inspiration from Egypt and Syria and are calling for a "day of rage" in Damascus this week.

These youth-led, technology-driven "Facebook revolutions" have leap-frogged far older and seemingly better-organized opposition groups who've fought and failed for decades to challenge their governments. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood was a late arrival at this current protests.
While protests have engulfed the Arab street before, the targets have most often been outsiders, usually the U.S. and Israel. Now they have a new target: their own governments.
Israel Watches Its Arab Allies Fight for Survival
Robert Danin, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, calls these events " new and unprecedented".
"We've seen demonstrations in the Middle East throughout the twentieth century. That part is not new," Danin said in an interview with cfr.org. "What we're seeing that is new is that demonstrations are taking place in response to local conditions and problems that are then being fueled by, and inspired by, what is happening elsewhere in the region."
However, America's historical role in these countries is very much relevant. The principal negative factor to U.S. credibility among Muslims in the region something President Obama set out to revamp and revitalize has been its very support for leaders like Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah.
At his 2009 speech in Cairo, the president said, "I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere."
Muslims welcomed the words but told me, as they so often have, that actions speak louder than words. That is, they want America to support democracy, not just talk it up.

While U.S. officials now attempt to walk a fine line between backing democratic change and not abandoning old friends, for many Muslims, it's too late for U.S. officials to say anything of real value. As one Egyptian democracy activist told me over the weekend, "The U.S. is paying the piper for supporting the dictator Mubarak."
Beyond the U.S., one of the biggest losers from the upheaval could be the U.S.'s closest ally in the region, Israel.
Egypt's fall and in a nightmare scenario for U.S. and Israeli leaders, Jordan's as well would upend virtually all of Israel's peace and national security priorities.
Peace today in the region and peace in the future with the Palestinians depends on alliances with its neighbors Egypt and Jordan. Israel's national security also depends on them. Israel depends on Egypt providing a southern front against Hamas in Gaza. More troubling for Israel, Hamas is close to the Egypt's largest organized opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ripples From Tunisia Buffet Mideast
And a Palestinian state in the West Bank would be an almost unthinkable prospect for many Israelis with an unfriendly government in Jordan.
More broadly, with Israel's relations with Turkey damaged since the Israeli assault on the Gaza flotilla, Israel could, in a worst case, find itself with no reliable Arab ally.

'Pro-Mubarak demonstrators are targeting the press'

Swedish reporters are held by Egyptian Army, accused of being Mossad spies; 4 Israelis arrested; Anderson Cooper is beaten up.
Pro-government protesters and Egyptian military have attacked reporters from numerous media sources around the world during Wednesday's riots in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Two Swedish reporters were held for hours on Wednesday by Egyptian soldiers accusing them of being Mossad spies, the reporters' employer, daily newspaper Aftonbladet, reported.The soldiers reportedly attacked the reporters, spitting in their faces and threatening to kill them.

Four Israeli journalists were arrested by Egyptian military police in Cairo on Wednesday. Three of those arrested work for Channel 2 and the fourth is from Nazareth.

In addition, renowned CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper and his news crew were roughed up by mobs favoring Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, as were Washington Post reporters. Cooper was reportedly punched in the head ten times.

Another CNN correspondent said that pro-government rioters were instructed to target the press.The US State Department condemned actions against journalists in Egypt on Wednesday.

State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley tweeted: "We are concerned about detentions and attacks on news media in Egypt. The civil society that Egypt wants to build includes a free press."

On Sunday, Egyptian authorities ordered the closure of Al-Jazeera's offices covering the protests. A statement by Al-Jazeera called Egypt's decision an act "designed to stifle and repress" open reporting. On Monday, six Al-Jazeera journalists were arrested, and released later that day.

World leaders denounce attacks on Egyptian protesters

Leaders around the globe joined a chorus of condemnation Wednesday over the eruption of violence in Cairo as embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak struggled to maintain his grip on power.
Violence between pro- and anti-government demonstrators spread through the Egyptian capital despite Mubarak's announcement that he will not seek re-election in the presidential election this year.
The time for a political transition in Egypt "is now," U.S. presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs said. The Egyptian people "need to see change," and a "meaningful transition must include opposition voices and parties being involved in this process as we move toward free and fair elections."
U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley denounced the attacks, calling them "a direct threat to the aspirations of the Egyptian people."
"The use of violence to intimidate the Egyptian people must stop. We strongly call for restraint," he said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron warned that "if it turns out that the (Mubarak) regime in any way has been sponsoring or tolerating this violence, that would be completely and utterly unacceptable.""These are despicable scenes that we're seeing, and they should not be repeated," Cameron said outside 10 Downing Street. "They underline the need for political reform and, frankly, for that political reform to be accelerated and to happen quickly."
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called on Egyptian security forces "not to use force against the demonstrators."
"Any escalation of the situation must be avoided at all costs, (and) gangs of thugs must be curbed immediately," he said. "The scenes of violence on the streets of Cairo throws into question whether the Egyptian political leadership has understood the importance of a speedy democratic reconstruction."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his country "renews its support for the Egyptians' aspiration for a free, democratic and diverse society."
"France will be alongside all those who intend to demonstrate peacefully," he declared.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed concern over the makeup of the regime that will follow Mubarak, who has helped enforce a more than three-decade peace between Egypt and Israel.
"I am convinced that that the forces that want to bring change and democratization in Egypt will also enhance peace between Israel and the Arab world," Netanyahu told the Knesset. "But we are not there yet. The struggle has not been decided. ... We need to do everything to make sure that peace endures."
United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon called the violence in Cairo "unacceptable" and said it is important for an "orderly and a peaceful transition" to take place.
"We should not underestimate the danger of instability across the Middle East," he added.
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted that Mubarak's administration "is not inspiring confidence for a quick transition to democracy," the Anatolia News Agency reported. "This is the people's expectation. ... A roadmap and a calendar for this should be announced, (and) I believe that such a transition should be made under an interim administration."
How much impact are the calls for change having on Mubarak? Probably not much, according to one veteran Middle East analyst.
Robert Danin, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, noted that the apparent crackdown on anti-government protesters started the day after former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner told Mubarak he should not seek another term as president.
Wisner was reportedly conveying that message from Obama.
"The timing is interesting," Danin said. "That suggests Mubarak has basically said, 'Enough. I've laid down my timeline, and now I'm digging in.' "
Danin called the eruption of violence "a clear rebuff" of the push for more immediate reform being advanced by the American and other governments.
Danin called Mubarak a man who generally "keeps his own counsel." The Egyptian leader does have a close relationship with Saudi King Abdullah, but Riyadh has generally been expressing support for Mubarak, Danin noted.
"I suspect (King Abdullah's) heart is with Mubarak right now," Danin said.

Obama Condemns Violence, Calls for Change

Clashes rage in Tahrir Square

Clashes have broken out between pro- and anti-government demonstrators in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

Protesters from both sides threw stones at each other in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of ongoing opposition demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak for the past nine days

The health ministry said at least one person had been killed and another 400 injured in Wednesday's violence.

Al Jazeera correspondents, reporting from the scene, said clashes were still raging and that petrol bombs were being hurled.

"Someone - a few people actually - are dropping homemade bombs into the square from the buildings surrounding it. Gunshots occasionally ringing out across downtown," our online producer said.

Earlier, witnesses said the military allowed thousands of pro-Mubarak supporters, armed with sticks and knives, to enter the square. Opposition groups said Mubarak had sent in thugs to suppress anti-government protests.

One of our correspondents said the army seemed to be standing by and facilitating the clashes. Latest reports suggest that the centre of the square is still in control of the protesters, despite the pro-Mubarak supporters gaining ground.

'Absolute mayhem'

Witnesses also said that pro-Mubarak supporters were dragging away protesters they had managed to grab and handing them over to security forces.

Salma Eltarzi, an anti-government protester, told Al Jazeera there were hundreds of wounded people.

"There are no ambulances in sight, and all we are using is Dettol," she said. "We are all so scared."

Aisha Hussein, a nurse, said dozens of people were being treated at a makeshift clinic in a mosque near the square.She described a scene of "absolute mayhem", as protesters first began to flood into the clinic.
People are coming in with multiple wounds. All kinds of contusions. We had one guy who needed stitches in two places on his face. Some have broken bones."

Meanwhile, another Al Jazeera correspondent said men on horseback and camels had ploughed into the crowds, as army personnel stood by.

At least six riders were dragged from their beasts, beaten with sticks by the protesters and taken away with blood streaming down their faces.

One of them was dragged away unconscious, with large blood stains on the ground at the site of the clash.

The worst of the fighting was just outside the world famous Egyptian Museum, which was targeted by looters last week.

Al Jazeera's correspondent added that several a group of pro-government protesters took over army vehicles. They also took control of a nearby building and used the rooftop to throw concrete blocks, stones, and other objects.

Soldiers surrounding the square took cover from flying stones, and the windows of at least one army truck were broken. Some troops stood on tanks and appealed for calm but did not otherwise intervene.

Many of the pro-Mubarak supporters raised slogans like "Thirty Years of Stability, Nine Days of Anarchy".

Camels & horses storm into Tahrir square as protesters clash in Cairo

Egypt's Protests Inspire Russian Opposition Activists

The leaders of Russia's opposition have long been looking for a new refrain - something beyond their hackneyed chants of "Russia without Putin!" - and on Monday night, when they gathered for a protest in downtown Moscow, they seemed to have found one. It came off as a kind of Egypt envy, the revolutionary bug that has afflicted many of the world's dissidents since an uprising broke out a few weeks ago in Tunisia and spread to Egypt. For Russia's opposition, the events in the Arab world have raised some frustrating questions: What's the difference between our leaders and Egypt's teetering President? Why won't the revolution come to us?
By some measures, there doesn't seem to be much difference between the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and that of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Many of the social ills that have pushed Egyptians to revolt are just as bad in Russia - and in some cases, they're worse. (See pictures of the aftermath of the recent bombing at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow.)
According to Transparency International's ranking of the most corrupt countries last year, Egypt was in the 98th place, tied with Mexico, while Russia was 154th. Economic troubles like rising food prices, unemployment, poverty and the vast gap between rich and poor are also comparable in the two countries. The latest data from the U.N. Development Program shows 16.7% of Egyptians lived below the poverty line in 2005, compared with 19.6% in Russia in 2007. The jobless rate is also about equal. In Egypt it was 9.4% at the end of 2009 and it was 9.2% in Russia at the start of 2010, according to most the recent figures in the CIA's World Factbook.
On Monday night, such comparisons came easily to the leaders of the Russian opposition, who are banned from politics and frequently arrested for their activism. From atop a truck bed rigged up with a microphone in Moscow's Triumphal Square, Boris Nemtsov, the opposition's de facto leader, bellowed, "For 30 years, power has been in the hands of the corrupt and thieving dictator Mubarak. But how is he different from our leaders?" A dozen voices in the crowd responded, "They are the same!" A new slogan then seemed to catch on as the rally progressed: "We won't wait 30 years!" (See "TIME's Exclusive Photos: Turmoil in Egypt.")
Earlier, the liberal wing of President Dmitri Medvedev's Kremlin also appeared to have caught the revolutionary itch when Igor Yurgens, an economic adviser to Medvedev, warned that Russia could become like Tunisia if Putin decides to take back the presidency in 2012. "Everyone is fed up with seeing the same face," Yurgens told Bloomberg news agency on Jan. 18. For an official of Yurgens' rank, it was a shocking slight against the Prime Minister.
But for all their dramatic effect, comparisons between Russia and Egypt don't hold much water, as two of the opposition leaders admitted to TIME on the sidelines of Monday's rally. For one thing, the Arab world has seen a demographic boom in recent years that has made for a young and restless population. Many of the people setting fire to barricades and stoning police in Egypt are younger than 15, an age-group that makes up about 40% of the population. Russia is exactly the opposite, said Vladimir Ryzhkov, an ex-parliamentarian turned dissident. "Our people are aging and in decline," he said, looking around at the pensioners who made up the bulk of the meager crowd at Monday's event, a regular anti-Putin protest held on the 31st of the month. "Also," he added, "the high price of oil [Russia's main export] has allowed the regime a certain cushion of economic stability." (Comment on this story.)
There is also the timid political culture inherited from the Soviet Union, which spent four generations literally breeding dissent out of the population, says Sergei Kovalyov, a famous Soviet dissident who is now a leading campaigner for human rights. "In the field of natural selection, Josef Stalin had a real gift," says Kovalyov. Stalin realized soon after taking power in 1922 that a nation still high on the ideals of the 1917 revolution would not put up with him for long, and he slowly began to purge the population of anyone prone to free thought. By most estimates, this process killed off as many as 20 million people and nearly wiped out the intellectual class. "In the end, it created a nation genetically immunized against dissent," says Kovalyov. "This has been a great gift to our current leaders." (See the top 10 autocrats in trouble.)
Still, as the feeble opposition was preparing for Monday's rally, Russia's leadership wasn't taking any chances. The opposition's offices were raided by police on Sunday, and the antiriot troops surrounding the square outnumbered the protesters by about 3 to 1. Some of the organizers were even detained before they reached the square, with one of them, Sergei Udaltsov, stopped on suspicion of using a fake subway ticket on his way to the protest and held just long enough to miss it. (See Russia's efforts to crack down on terrorism problems.)
The rally ended less than an hour after it began, and its elderly participants peacefully dispersed, leaving their leaders to stand around discussing the fury in the Arab world. A light snow fell on their heads, and the square became quiet. It looked absolutely nothing like Cairo.

Pro- and anti-government supporters clash in Cairo

Several thousand supporters of President Hosni Mubarak, including some riding horses and camels and wielding whips, attacked anti-government protesters Wednesday as Egypt's upheaval took a dangerous new turn. In chaotic scenes, the two sides pelted each other with stones, and protesters dragged attackers off their horses.
The turmoil was the first significant violence between supporters of the two camps in more than a week of anti-government protests. It erupted after Mubarak went on national television the night before and rejected demands he step down immediately and said he would serve out the remaining seven months of his term.
Wednesday morning, a military spokesman appeared on state TV Wednesday and asked the protesters to disperse so life in Egypt could get back to normal. The announement could mark a major turn in the attitude of the army, which for the past two days has allowed protests to swell, reaching their largest size yet on Tuesday when a quarter-million peace packed into Cairo's central Tahrir Square.
Nearly 10,000 protesters massed again in Tahrir on Wednesday morning, rejecting Mubarak's speech as too little too late and renewed their demands he leave immediately.
In the early afternoon Wednesday, an Associated Press reporter saw around 3,000 Mubarak supporters break through a human chain of anti-government protesters trying to defend thousands gathered in Tahrir.
Chaos erupted as they tore down banners denouncing the president. Fistfights broke out as they advanced across the massive square in the heart of the capital. The anti-government protesters grabbed Mubarak posters from the hands of the supporters and ripped them.
The two sides began hurling stones and bottles and sticks at each other, chasing each other as the protesters' human chains moved back to try to shield the larger mass of demonstrators at the plaza's center.
At one point, a small contingent of pro-Mubarak forces on horseback and camels rushed into the anti-Mubarak crowds, swinging whips and sticks to beat people. Protesters retaliated, dragging some from their mounts, throwing them to the ground and beating their faces bloody.
Protesters were seen running with their shirts or faces bloodied, some men and women in the crowd were weeping. A scent of tear gas wafted over the area, but it was not clear who had fired it.
The army troops who have been guarding the square had been keeping the two sides apart earlier in the day, but when the clashes erupted they did not intervene. Most took shelter behind or inside the armored vehicles and tanks stationed at the entrances to Tahrir.

Mubarak concessions 'insufficient'

Unimpressed by president Hosni Mubarak's speech on Tuesday night, in which he vowed not to renew his rule, thousands of Egyptian protesters remain holed up in Cairo's central Tahrir Square, adamant in their demand that the president must step down.

Mubarak, in his defiant speech, announced he would surrender power, but only in September at the end of his term in office, after which he would not seek re-election.

But protesters reacted angrily, jeering him and once again calling for an immediate end to his 30-year reign.

"The speech is useless and only inflames our anger," said Shadi Morkos in Tahrir square. "We will continue to protest."

"We will not leave! He will leave!" others chanted at the time.

Meanwhile, pro-Mubarak demonstrators were engaged in a standoff with anti-government protesters in Cairo on Wednesday after they marched into the anti-Mubarak rally in Tahrir Square.

The Mubarak supporters gathered earlier to reaffirm their commitment to his administration. The crowd had chanted: "With our blood and our souls, we will sacrifice for Mubarak," Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reported from the demonstration.

She said people were "frenzied" and the atmosphere was tense, with potential battle lines being drawn between the two sides of the Egyptian divide. Pro and anti government demonstrators have already clashed in Alexandria and Cairo following Mubarak's speech.

Standoff

Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, reporting from Cairo, said there is now a "real standoff" between anti-government Egyptians and Mubarak, with neither side seeming to budge in the others' direction.

The ball is now in the protesters' court, Dutton said.

"[Mubarak] has given them what they want. He has said he will step down, just not yet. And he has offered them all these concessions, demands that they have made over many years, for other parties to run in the elections, for there to be a fixed term under the president."

"But it's too and little too late," Dutton added. "People are angry that these sort of changes are being imposed or suggested under a dictatorship, under this regime. They want him to go and they want him to go now."

Speaking to Al Jazeera after Mubarak's speech, protesters in Cairo echoed these same sentiments. "I want to say that this man is provoking us. This man wants to have a massacre in this country that has been good to him and his children." one male demonstrator told Al Jazeera.

'Unacceptable'

"Chants of 'Down with the regime! Down with the president!' started up again about 30 seconds after he was done with the speech," Ashraf Khalil, a journalist based in Cairo, told Al Jazeera.

"Talking to the protesters in Tahrir Square, those who are remaining have made it clear that his latest concessions are unacceptable. They have no intention of giving him some sort of eight month farewell tour. They want him gone immediately and they plan to keep the pressure up," Khalil said.

But to those demanding he leave Egypt, Mubarak said on Tuesday: "This is my country ... and I will die on its soil."

Reaction to Mubarak's speech has been strong and swift. Immediately afterwards, Barack Obama, US president, said "orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now."

But much of the reaction was registered on social networking sites, which have become a vehicle for anti-government protests. A flood of responses on the microblogging site Twitter mostly seemed to favour the Egyptians call for the president to cease power.

"Mubarak said he wants to die in Egypt - careful what you wish for!" one user called Guapo Plethora tweeted.

Another, Iyad El-Baghdadi, tweeted "Live from Tahrir Square: Everyone considers Mubarak an ex-President and think his days are numbered."

Mona Eltahawy, a columnist and public speaker on Muslim and Arab issues, also tweeted saying, "It's Mubarak vs Egypt and Egypt must win. Armed forces [have] to understand. There is no way Mubarak can stay til September. OUT."

Opportunity for real change

Al Jazeera's correspondents on the ground in Egypt reported similar sentiments. "I was in Tahrir Square for Mubarak speech and once they heard offer to not run again, chanting started "get out get out". Dan Nolan tweeted.

Later he added "Nobody there believes any of his promises any more. They know this is their opportunity for real change and won't stop til it happens."

Ayman Mohyeldin, another correspondent, tweeted that "History may be repeating itself. Former Tunisian president Ben Ali gave three speeches and [vowed not to run again for elections].

Early into Wednesday, protesters in Cairo held up banners stating "Remove the regime", Al Jazeera's Dutton reported.

She said demonstrators were determined not to move, and were planning other major protests to take place after Friday prayers.

"The protesters I spoke with really do think Friday might be the day they drive Mubarak from office. They are very optimistic, they are jubilant," Ashraf Khalil said.

Jordan: revolution fears in Algeria, Yemen and Syria

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

With protests in several Middle East countries, there are also now fears for Algeria, Yemen and Syria.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has ruled the country since 1999, was elected on the promise to end the violence that had plagued the country for much of its history since independence from France in 1962.
To a certain extent he has succeeded, and after years of political upheaval the country is beginning to emerge as a centre of enterprise, heavily assisted by the country's huge oil and gas reserves. It has estimated oil reserves of nearly 12 billion barrels, attracting strong interest from foreign oil firms.
However, poverty remains a serious problem and unemployment high, particularly among Algeria's youth. Almost 50 per cent of Algeria's 34.6 million people are under 25, and the youthful population coupled with a lack of jobs has made Algeria something of a simmering cauldron. Endemic government corruption and poor standards in public services are also chronic sources of popular dissatisfaction.
Mounting grievances over spiralling costs and unemployment triggered the riots earlier this month, encouraged by public protests in Tunisia that forced its president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee.On Monday a third Algerian died from self-immolation, while another tried to set himself alight Sunday, adding to a grim tally of Tunisia-inspired acts.
The incident on Sunday, in the capital Algiers, marked the 10th attempted self-immolation since January 12.
Syria
Syrians are organising campaigns on Facebook and Twitter that call for a "day of rage" in Damascus this week, taking inspiration from Egypt and Tunisia in using social networking sites to rally their followers for sweeping political reforms.
Like Egypt and Tunisia, Syria suffers from corruption, poverty and unemployment. All three nations have seen subsidy cuts on staples like bread and oil. Syria's authoritarian President Bashar al-Assad has resisted calls for political freedoms and jailed critics of his regime.
On Sunday a group of 39 activists and opposition figures issued a statement hailing Egypt and Tunisia's protesters, but Mr Assad has shown no signs of flinching.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Mr Assad said Syria was "immune" from the turmoil affecting Egypt and Tunisia.
"We have more difficult circumstances than most of the Arab countries, but in spite of that Syria is stable. Why? Because you have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people," Mr Assad said.
"If you did not see the need for reform before what happened in Egypt and in Tunisia, it is too late to do any reform," he was quoted as saying.
"If you do it just because of what happened in Tunisia and Egypt, then it is going to be a reaction, not an action and ... you are going to fail."
Mr Assad, a 45-year-old British-trained eye doctor, inherited power from his father, Hafez, in 2000, after three decades of authoritarian rule.
He has since moved slowly to lift Soviet-style economic restrictions, letting in foreign banks, throwing the doors open to imports and empowering the private sector.
But Mr Assad has not matched liberal economics with political reforms and critics of the regime are routinely locked up, drawing an outcry from international human rights groups.
He is seen by many Arabs, however, as one of the few leaders in the region willing to stand up to arch enemy Israel. And his support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups opposed to the Jewish state as well as his opposition to the invasion of Iraq has won him more support among his people than other Arab rulers.
Yemen
Yemen's president, facing demands that he resign, has called for a meeting of parliament and the consultative council, as the opposition has declared that it is "too late" for dialogue and that he must go.
Ali Abdullah Saleh is expected to address the special meeting ahead of a "day of rage" that civil society organisations have called for Thursday.
Facing protests that have multiplied since the mid-January ouster of Tunisia's president, Mr Saleh has taken measures aimed at soothing popular discontent.
President Ali Abdallah Saleh has been in power since 1978. The authority of the central government has been challenged by southern separatists, northern rebels and al-Qaeda militants, and has recently been rocked by events in Tunisia and Egypt.
On Monday, after increasing wages and reducing incomes taxes, he ordered the creation of a fund to employ university graduates and to extend social security coverage. He also decided to exempt university students from the rest of their tuition fees for this academic year, and charged the high council of universities to reduce the cost of a degree.
A governing body of Mr Saleh's General People's Congress party called on Friday for a resumption of dialogue with opposition parties, which are currently at an impasse.
Yemenis are now calling for "changing the regime and the ouster of the president."
Yemen is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the Middle East.

Mubarak, the shah and the 30-year itch

There's a sense of deja vu about Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak and his crumbling 30-year dictatorship. Mubarak, who has been a staunch American ally, propped up with billions in taxpayer dollars, called a key to U.S. policy in the region and a human rights abuser, and now twisting slowly in the wind, is pledging to hold on - at least through the end of the week.

Reminds us of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi - a staunch American ally, propped up with U.S. support, called a key to U.S. policy in the region (installed by the CIA, after all, as a bulwark against the Soviets) and toppled in 1979 after nearly 38 years in power.

In Southeast Asia we had dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, another staunch ally, human rights violator, key to policy in the region, propped up by billions in taxpayer dollars, ousted in the People Power Revolution after a 20-year reign.

Closer to home there was Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, another ally and anti-communist, a major human rights abuser who ran the Chilean army for some 25 years and was president for 17 years.

Dictators past have taken a couple years or so to overthrow but, as Ken Pollak of the Brookings Institution's Saban Center observed, "the pace of change" has accelerated in recent years. In the past it's been something like a 30-year itch before the people finally begin revolt (Libya's wacky Moammar Gaddafi, on top for more than 40 years, for the moment being the exception). In the Internet age, that may no longer apply.

But, like "True Grit," seems we've seen this show before, even if we don't know the precise ending.

The author you have . . .
Finally! It's here. The book you've been waiting for - former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld's new memoir, "Known and Unknown" (we would have preferred "Stuff Happens"), is on sale next week, and he's taking his show on the road.

The "first stop on his highly anticipated national book tour" will be next Wednesday at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, a center news release tells us. The book "chronicles his long career in public service," from his time in Congress - he was elected 48 years ago - to his work in the Nixon, Ford and Bush II administrations.

"Long career" is a euphemism for very, very long book, and this one weighs in at a hefty 2.6 pounds and 832 exciting pages, all for just $36. The Wednesday launch includes a "conversation" to be "facilitated by presidential historian Michael Beschloss," where Rumsfeld "will discuss previously undisclosed details and insight into the Bush administration." Tickets for that are only $15, and books will be available for purchase (and signing) right there.

The title echoes Rumsfeld's famous observations about "known knowns" and "unknown unknowns" and so on. Unclear whether there will be questions from the audience, but you should have some ready. For example, you might ask what caused the Army chief of staff at the time, Gen. Eric Shinseki - now secretary of veterans affairs - to be so completely wrong when he said the United States would need a few hundred thousand troops in Iraq.

Rumsfeld might also explain how the prediction that the war would pay for itself was pretty much on target, or perhaps how the post-invasion Iraqi turmoil was just like Germany in 1945-47, or how those weapons of mass destruction may yet be found - okay, maybe in Iran, but that's not all that far away and, after all, they are spelled similarly.

Washington memoirs are famous for settling scores, so if you're lucky enough to get a seat, buy the book , go immediately to the index and look for Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice . . .

Not to be missed. Reservations can be made online at www.constitutioncenter.org.

A happy landing
Loop Fans may recall Sen. Jim Inhofe's little problem with the Federal Aviation Administration in October after he landed his twin-engine Cessna 340 on the main runway in Port Isabel, Tex.

The problem was there were these huge X's on the runway showing it was closed and workmen were out there painting and doing general maintenance as Inhofe (R-Okla.) zipped by.

The matter, we're happy to report, seems now to be resolved in what appears to be the aeronautic equivalent of a nolo contendere plea.

Inhofe, 76, told us Tuesday morning that he was confident he did nothing wrong and had been cleared by a controller to land on the runway. But he said he agreed to what he said was "painless" remedial training rather than go through a legal enforcement action. (That might have led to a license suspension.)

The training, done in Tulsa, consisted of four hours of instruction on the ground and three hours of flight instruction by an instructor who, oddly enough, Inhofe had trained many years ago.

The FAA, in a Jan. 4 letter Inhofe sent us, said that it had "concluded that based on your satisfactory completion of the remedial training program, legal enforcement action will not be pursued." Instead, the letter would remain on record for two years, "after which the record of this matter would be expunged. This letter constitutes neither an admission nor an adjudication of a violation."

Inhofe praised the FAA and said "I could not have been treated better" by the agency, though he acknowledged that his being a senator may have had something to do with the treatment he got. (We hear the FAA insists not.)

He said he would announce on the Senate floor Tuesday that he would introduce legislation that would give pilots greater access to controllers' records and provide for an appeal before a license is revoked.

Mubarak says he plans to step down, but crowd tells him to 'leave'

By HANNAH ALLAM AND SHASHANK BENGALI

Faced with an unprecedented popular revolt that drew record crowds of protesters to downtown Cairo Tuesday, U.S.-backed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would step down before elections this fall, a humbling end to his 30 years of authoritarian rule.
"I will say, with all honesty and without looking at this particular situation, that I was not intending to stand for the next elections because I've spent enough time serving Egypt," Mubarak said in a televised speech. "I'm now careful to conclude my work for Egypt by presenting Egypt to the next government in a constitutional way."

Mubarak acted after President Barack Obama sent a special envoy to Cairo, urging him not to seek re-election, and following calls from Turkey and Iran to step down.

Obama later telephoned Mubarak, and in a "direct and frank" 30-minute conversation, told him an orderly transition to a new regime had to begin immediately, the White House said. In a nationally televised appearance, Obama all but ignored Mubarak's announcement, declaring that "an orderly transition must be meaningful, must be peaceful and must begin now."

Initial reaction was mostly negative among protesters in Tahrir Square, where earlier Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians - more than a million by some estimates - staged a festive rally to demand the president's ouster.

"He's leaving! He's leaving!" some protesters shouted gleefully. More than an hour after he spoke, however, chants continued to echo from Tahrir Square as protesters vowed to keep flooding Egypt's streets until Mubarak heeded their demand to resign immediately.

"We have only one condition: We need Mubarak to be out of our lives," said Mostafa Fathy, 28, an online journalist and activist. "He's supposed to be out of the game now."

The 82-year-old Mubarak appeared to make some concessions to the protesters, saying there should be presidential term limits and fewer restrictions on who can run for public office. But he didn't dissolve parliament, which is filled almost completely with members of his ruling party.

All day long, protesters had chanted, "Leave!" It came from the mouths of children draped in the Egyptian flag, bearded clerics in turbans, teenagers dancing to a drumbeat and elderly women with tears in their eyes. Long before the president's speech, cameras flashed and video recorders rolled as the protesters documented what they hoped would go down in Egyptian history as the end of Mubarak's regime.

"In my whole life, I've never known another president, and suddenly I can't imagine how he can stay for even one more day," said Tasneem Osman, 26. "He has to go. He will go."

Before Mubarak's appearance around 11 p.m., state TV stations mostly ignored the crowds in the square, instead airing call-in shows with government supporters and dismissing independent news coverage as tainted by foreign interests. The government's intense pressure on the protesters continued: an Internet shutdown, spotty phone service, a nationwide curfew, shuttered banks, no trains from other provinces and a crackdown on journalists.

Despite the obstacles, this week-old rebellion with no clearly defined leadership drew massive crowds in an atmosphere that was peaceful and jubilant well into the night. Young protesters made up chants like freestyle rappers, playing with puns and rhymes. Placards depicted Mubarak as Hitler or with devilish horns. An effigy of the president dangled from a noose tied to a traffic light.

"The people said it clearly: They want a new democratic regime and this regime has lost its legitimacy," opposition politician Mohamed ElBaradei told Al-Jazeera television. "I would have liked that President Mubarak would listen to the sounds of the millions that went out today."

Even without Mubarak's immediate ouster, the movement has achieved in a week something opposition groups have attempted in vain for decades. Mubarak was forced to name his first-ever vice president, the former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. Habib el Adly, the interior minister who was detested for the alleged brutality of his police force, was unceremoniously sacked.

A young boy was perched on a man's shoulders, waving an Egyptian flag as he yelled a chant aimed at Suleiman. The newly appointed vice president is a strong contender for interim leadership should Mubarak leave sooner.

"We don't need America's man. Omar Suleiman, leave the country!" the boy shouted. More than a dozen adult protesters chanted along with him, cheering and snapping photos.

The anti-government movement has steadily grown more defiant - and more disciplined. While military tanks hung back on the outskirts of the square, citizen volunteers checked IDs and searched Egyptians streaming into the square. In the middle of the frenzy, ordinary people were collecting trash - a rare sight in Egypt even when the country is not in turmoil.

"I came for the liberation of my country," said Yahya Zakaria, 29, slight man with sunken cheeks who took a bus several hundred miles from southern Egypt to Cairo to participate in the Jan. 25 protest, the first major rally. He's been camping in the square ever since, and on Tuesday he picked up garbage.

Zakaria's voice was hoarse from chanting slogans such as, "Mubarak, you are cheap; Egypt is worth more than you!" He needed a change of clothes, but he seemed convinced that the only president he's ever known was on his way out.

"Before, I didn't love my country," he said. "Now I love my country a lot."

Reports that demonstrators would march en masse nearly eight miles from Tahrir Square to the presidential palace didn't materialize. At midday, cranes were laying stone roadblocks outside the palace gates and Mubarak's presidential guard forces had posted tanks to block the roads.

Activists said that they had decided such a huge crowd marching such a long distance was unwieldy and could put them in conflict with the Egyptian army, which is deployed throughout Cairo but so far has allowed the demonstrations to carry on mostly unfettered.

"We didn't want to clash with anyone, and we wanted to avoid thugs or police that might have put some traps for us," said Ahmed Salah, an activist with the April 6 youth movement, a pro-democracy group.

Some in the crowd greeted Mubarak's announcement with satisfaction. Moataz Shalaby, 27, a real-estate salesman who brought a "Mubarak, Get Out" sign to the square Tuesday afternoon, said after the speech that at least Egyptians had the end of the Mubarak era in sight.

He said he would have been happier if Mubarak said he would dissolve the parliament after his ruling National Democratic Party won 97 percent of the seats in November elections that were widely described as rigged.

"The problem is the system of that party," Shalaby said. "All of them follow the same management school, so we need another school, another system, another everything."

Power to the people

EDITORIAL:Daily Times

Millions of Egyptians are protesting on the streets against the tyrannical Mubarak regime. Despite all this, President Hosni Mubarak is being his usual stubborn self — a trademark of all dictators who refuse to see the writing on the wall. What is heartening though is how the Egyptian army is handling the precarious situation. It has refused to ‘crush’ the protests and vowed not to use force against the people. In a statement released on January 31, the Egyptian army stressed that it is “aware of the legitimate demands of the honourable citizens” and that the “presence of the army in the streets is for your sake and to ensure your safety and wellbeing. The armed forces will not resort to use of force against our great people”. If the army is not willing to put down the uprising and lets it continue peacefully, surely it means that the people of Egypt have won.

The protests in Egypt were so far leaderless but now Nobel Laureate and former Director General of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei, is emerging as the new face of this resistance movement. Both the secularists and the Islamists have tactically agreed on this issue. Mr ElBaradei has asked the US administration not to support the Mubarak regime. He said, “The American government cannot ask the Egyptian people to believe that a dictator who has been in power for 30 years will be the one to implement democracy.” The US administration is also distancing itself from Hosni Mubarak and getting ready for a transition. The US gives around $ 1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt apart from hundreds of millions of dollars for the state. Recent events have forced the White House to review its aid policy, which may be why Egypt’s military chief, Lieutenant General Sami Enan, who was on a visit to Washington last week, cut short his visit to return to his country. Egypt is an important ally of both the US and Israel. Peace in Egypt is essential for policing Gaza’s border on the Egyptian side. It seems that the Egyptian armed forces have understood the signal from the US and have decided therefore to refrain from using military might against the protestors. Mubarak has no hope left: his people want him gone, he has tacitly been dumped by his biggest backers in the international arena, and his own army has also sent him a loud and clear message, i.e. to exit peacefully because it is untenable to save him any longer. It is time for Mr Mubarak to go.

The protests in Egypt have taken the Arab world by storm. What began in Tunisia will likely not end in Egypt; the tremors are now being felt in Jordan as well where King Abdullah has dismissed the Jordanian cabinet and appointed a new prime minister after thousands of protestors demanded Prime Minister Samir Rifai’s resignation and an end to unemployment and rising prices. What King Abdullah does not understand is that a change in cabinet is not the answer to the woes of the Jordanian people. Political reforms in the Arab world would mean an end to monarchy and authoritarian regimes. Today the Arab people are standing up for their rights; they want democracy, freedom of speech and basic human rights. It is about time that they get what they have long been denied. More power to the people of the Arab world. *

CROWD ANGRY OVER DICTATOR MUBARAK SPEECH

Turkish PM backs Egypt protesters

Turkey has finally broken its silence over the Egyptian crisis after major newspapers criticised the government for its inexplicable silence on the issue.

Addressing members of his AKP party in parliament, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, has thrown his weight completely behind the protesters in Egypt.

Erdogan appealed to Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president: "You have to listen to the wishes of the people in order to create security and stability. First you must take steps that are good for Egypt. You must take steps that satisfy the people."

Erdogan said on Tuesday that he was putting off a visit to the Egyptian capital of Cairo next week, but would go once Egypt returns to normal.

Turkey is hailed as the only democratic country in the Muslim world.

'Reforms needed'

Erdogan called for anti-government protesters to refrain from violence and protect the country's cultural heritage. "Everyone has the right to fight for freedom, but without violence,” said the Turkish PM.

"You must not forget that the people who oppose you are still human, still your brothers."

He also talked about political reforms in the Middle East. “Our greatest wish in Egypt and Tunisia is that reforms are implemented as soon as possible, but also that peace and security are established,” said Erdogan.

He also underlined Turkey’s priorities towards supporting democratic cause. He said: "I spoke to president Barack Obama. He found it important to hear Turkey's view as a democratic country in the region."

Iran sees 'Islamic Middle East'

Also supporting Egyptian protesters is the government of Iran.

Ali Akbar Salehi, the Foreign Minister, said Iran will offer its support to the protesters in Egypt.

"On our part we are going along with the freedom seekers of the world and support the uprising of the great nation of Egypt. We sympathise with those injured and killed" in the protests, he said.

Iran said on Tuesday the uprising in Egypt will help create an Islamic Middle East but accused US officials of interfering in the "freedom seeking" movement which has rocked the Arab nation.

Salehi, who was officially endorsed by the Iranian parliament on Sunday as foreign minister, said the uprising in Egypt "showed the need for a change in the region and the end of unpopular regimes."

"The people of Tunisia and Egypt prove that the time of controlling regimes by world arrogance (the West) has ended and people are trying to have their own self-determination," said Salehi, who also oversees Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

Egypt crowds unmoved by Mubarak's vow not to run

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

Mubarak not to run for another term

Egypt's president says in a speech that he will step down at the next election but would stay in office until then.
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has said in a televised address that he will not run for another term and step down at the next election but will stay in office till then.

The next presidential election is scheduled for September. Until now, officials had indicated Mubarak, 82, would likely run for a sixth six-year term of office.

EGYPT'S MILLION MAN MARCH

Afghan war winnable without Pakistan help on border: US

WASHINGTON — NATO-led forces can still win the war in Afghanistan even if Pakistan fails to move against militant havens on the border, a top US general said on Tuesday.
"That's not a mission stopper in my mind," General David Rodriguez, deputy US commander in Afghanistan, told a Pentagon news conference.
US officials have long pressed Islamabad to crack down on the Haqqani network and other militants based in North Waziristan, saying the insurgents exploit the area as a sanctuary to stage attacks on coalition forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
But Rodriguez said the war effort would not be derailed even if Pakistan never fulfils promises to take action in North Waziristan, saying Islamabad has launched effective operations elsewhere along the northwest border.
"We need them to do more. We're going to encourage them to do more because that makes it easier on what we're doing. But I think it's still doable, without them decreasing what they've been doing, which is significant," he said.
His comments contrasted with more pessimistic assessments from US intelligence agencies and some lawmakers, who have warned that Pakistan's reluctance to combat the Haqqani network in North Waziristan could undermine the war effort.
Pakistan has maintained ties to some militant groups as a hedge against historic rival India and to ensure Islamabad's influence in Afghanistan, diplomats say.
Rodriguez said he expected violence in Afghanistan to increase as usual in the spring as the insurgency launches its annual "seasonal" offensive.
But he predicted the Taliban would change its approach, targeting Afghan officials for assassination while moving away from confrontations with the heavily-armed coalition force.
With President Barack Obama planning to start a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in July, Rodriguez said it was too early to say how many forces might be pulled out.
Rodriguez leads the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, serving under the overall commander in Afghanistan, US General David Petraeus.

Obama Urges Mubarak Not to Run Again

NYT.COM
WASHINGTON — President Obama has told the embattled president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, that he should not run for another term in elections in the fall, effectively withdrawing American support for its closest Arab ally, according to American diplomats in Cairo and Washington.

Al Arabiya television, citing unnamed sources, reported that Mr. Mubarak would announce in a nationwide address Tuesday evening that he would not run for another term.

The message was conveyed to Mr. Mubarak by Frank G. Wisner, a seasoned former diplomat with deep ties to Egypt, these officials said. Mr. Wisner’s message, they said, was not a blunt demand for Mr. Mubarak to step aside now, but firm counsel that he should make way for a reform process that would culminate in free and fair elections in September to elect a new Egyptian leader.

This back channel message, authorized directly by Mr. Obama, would appear to tip the administration beyond the delicate balancing act it has performed in the last week — resisting calls for Mr. Mubarak to step down, even as it has called for an “orderly transition” to a more politically open Egypt.

It was not clear whether the administration favors Mr. Mubarak turning over the reins to a transitional government, composed of leaders of the opposition movement perhaps under the leadership of Mohamed ElBaradei, or a caretaker government led by members of the existing regime, including the newly-appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman.

But the decision to nudge Mr. Mubarak in the direction of leaving is a critical step for the United States in defining how its dealings not just with its most critical ally in the Arab world, but with the rising swell of popular anger on the streets of Cairo and in nearby countries like Jordan, Yemen, Algeria and Tunisia.

Mr. Wisner, who is now heading back to Washington, is among the country’s most experienced diplomats, and a friend of Mr. Mubarak. His mission was to “keep a conversation going,” according to a close friend of Mr. Wisner’s.

As a result, this person said, the administration’s first message to the Egyptian leader was not that he had to leave office, but rather that his time in office was quickly coming to a close. Mr. Wisner, who consulted closely with the White House, is expected to be the point person to deal with Mr. Mubarak as the situation evolves, and perhaps as the administration’s message hardens.

Mr. Wisner’s mission took shape over the weekend in a White House meeting, after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recommended his name to the national security advisor, Thomas E. Donilon.

Reinforcing the administration’s message to Mr. Mubarak was an Op-ed article in The New York Times on Tuesday by Sen. John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in which he advised Mr. Mubarak to bow out gracefully “to make way for a new political structure.”

Million Egyptians clamor for Mubarak to go

'Talks only after Mubarak leaves'

A coalition of opposition groups have told Egypt's government that they would only begin talks with the military on a transition to democracy once president Hosni Mubarak stands down.

Massive protests over the past week have shaken Mubarak's 30-year grip on power, forcing him to appoint a deputy and new cabinet.

But protesters, emboldened by an army vow not to use force against them, say they will continue until Mubarak quits.

"Our first demand is that Mubarak goes. Only after that can dialogue start with the military establishment on the details of a peaceful transition of power," said Mohammed al-Beltagi, a former member of parliament from the Muslim Brotherhood.

Beltagi said the opposition was operating under an umbrella group, the National Committee for Following up the People's Demands, which includes the Brotherhood, the National Association for Change headed by Mohamed El Baradei, political parties and prominent figures including Coptic Christians.

Beltagi's comments were echoed by El Baradei and another opposition officials.

"There can be dialogue but it has to come after the demands of the people are met and the first of those is that president Mubarak leaves," El Baradei told Al Arabiya television, saying the dialogue would involve transitional power arrangements.

"I hope to see Egypt peaceful and that's going to require as a first step the departure of president Mubarak. If president Mubarak leaves, then everything will progress correctly."

Mubarak has used the Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, to present himself as a bastion against Islamism. He accused Islamists this week of subverting the protests, which include Egyptians from all walks of life, to provoke disorder and looting.

Government feelers

Beltagi said the government had contacted opposition groups through Sayed Badawi, head of the liberal Wafd party, but he declined to say who had been in touch.

A Brotherhood statement in the name of its leader Mohammed Badie said it did not recognise the legality of any government decisions since January 25, when the protests began.

It demanded that the judge who heads the constitutional court take over as transitional president and that an interim cabinet organise parliamentary elections. A presidential vote would follow constitutional amendments enacted by the assembly.

Senior Brotherhood figure Essam al-Erian said this would rule out talking to Omar Suleiman, who Mubarak made his deputy on Saturday.

"Even after (Mubarak goes), we refuse to deal with Omar Suleiman," he said. Beltagi said Suleiman was acceptable as someone appointed by the military to speak for them in talks.

Suleiman said on Monday he had been authorised by Mubarak to begin talks but did not give details.

Beltagi said future negotiations would involve discussions on a coalition government, a temporary president, dissolving parliament and free elections, but the timetable and framework would only come in talks once Mubarak is out.

Mustafa Naggar of El Baradei's group said the request for talks had come from Anas Fiki, the information minister, and Ahmed Shafiq, the new prime minister. He also said the offer was rejected until Mubarak gives up power.

Naggar said the talks could lead to a "board of trustees" who would be in power for three months to organise parliamentary elections and constitutional reforms.

"We demand that a board of trustees, is formed for three months. In those three months, this group will work to form an emergency transitional government for two years," he said.

"During the three months the board will introduce amendments to articles 76, 77 and 88 of the constitution to allow independents to run (for president). Also during those three months a new parliamentary election will be held."

Those articles govern how many times the president can run for office, conditions for running for president and rules on oversight of parliamentary elections.

Naggar said the "board of trustees" could include El Baradei, the former International Atomic Energy Agency chief, as well as former Nobel Prize for Chemistry winner Ahmed Zewail, Omar Suleiman and army chief-of-staff Sami Anan.