Wednesday, February 2, 2011

'Friday of Departure' for Mubarak as protests inch towards climax

Agencies

CAIRO, Feb 2: Egyptian protesters have declared that February 4 will be the “Friday of departure” for President Hosni Mubarak and say they will congregate at his palace on Friday afternoon.

NUMBERED DAYS? Mubarak clings on to power as protests evolve into a revolution

Angry demonstrators, fed up with Mubarak's three-decade rule, jeered at the president's remarks while watching his speech on TV in Tahrir Square on Tuesday night and chanted that he should go immediately.

Senior Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei, who has expressed readiness to lead the country's popular uprising, has said that the people's message is clear and they want Mubarak out now and not in September.

After Mubarak's address, the protesters said that this Friday would be the “Friday of departure” for the president and announced that they would be gathering at his palace on Friday afternoon.

In addition, a US official has said that the pledge that Mubarak made in his speech may not prove to meet the demands of the anti-government protesters.

FREEDOM NOW ... Tahrir (Freedom) Square in central Cairo, the focus of the protests, early Feb 2

"The president's announcement is significant, but the question is whether it will satisfy the demands of the people in Liberation Square," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Tuesday.

In a televised speech earlier in the day, Mubarak said that he would not run in the election scheduled to be held in September but said he would stay in office until then. Few moments later US president Barrack Obama in a change of tone said the events in Egypt were a precursor to change, and reminded Mubarak that change must come "now".

Ultimatum to army

Youth-led groups at Tahrir Square in central Cairo issued a statement calling for all Egyptians to march on the palace, the People's Assembly and the television building, in what they are calling the "Friday of Departure."

They say the army must choose which side they are on: That of the people, or the regime.

"We the people and the youth of Egypt demand that our brothers in the national armed forces clearly define their stance by either lining up with the real legitimacy provided by millions of Egyptians on strike on the streets, or standing in the camp of the regime that has killed our people, terrorized them and stole from them," read the statement.

The protesters say the army has until Thursday morning to make its position clear. A lack of response will be interpreted as support for Egypt's ruling regime.

The march will commence after Friday Muslim prayers and Christian services, according to the statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, about two million people took to the streets of Cairo to pressure Mubarak to step down, and the total number of protesters across the country hit five million, Press TV reported.

Tuesday's protests were the biggest anti-government demonstrations in Egypt's recent history.

Sources: Agencies, AlJazeera, AlMasry AlYoum

http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2202:friday-of-departure-for-mubarak-as-protests-inch-towards-climax&catid=36:headline&Itemid=70

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