Egypt protests: Hosni Mubarak 'may be stepping down

[Skip_In_Boulder]

Source: BBC

A senior member of Egypt's governing party has told the BBC he "hopes" that President Hosni Mubarak will transfer power to Vice-President Omar Suleiman.

Hossan Badrawi, secretary general of the National Democratic Party (NDP), said Mr Mubarak would "most probably" speak to the nation soon.

It comes on the 17th day of protests against Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule.

Reports say Egypt's army is expected to make a statement shortly in which it will respond to protesters' demands.

Earlier, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told BBC Arabic that the scenario of President Mubarak stepping down was being discussed.

The BBC's Lyse Doucet, in Cairo, says the fact that President Mubarak's departure is even being discussed is a huge development.

Our correspondent, who spoke to Mr Badrawi, says the 25 January movement will see this as a great victory.


Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12421000

[liberal N proud]

1. Breaking new banner on MSNBC.com...

BREAKING NEWS: Mubarak to step down as Egypt's leader, Suleiman to take over, sources tell NBC News

[Skip_In_Boulder]

2. On CNN.com as well

[lunasun]

46. Cnn hightlighted one of the real reasons that tipped the bucket IMO........

'Employees of the steel industry and the Suez Canal Port Authority also took to the streets to demand better salaries, said the state-run al-Ahram newspaper. That sparked fears that the Suez Canal -- a significant oil transport hub and major revenue source for Egypt -- would shut down and send oil prices skyrocketing."
....................................................................................
Solidarity pays in the end folks

[Skip_In_Boulder]

49. I had been seeing that in the background for the last couple of days

and wondered if that didn't have an impact here.

[L. Coyote]

3. Breaking News: Egypt's PM says President Hosni Mubarak may step down

Source: Reuters

An Egyptian army commander tells protesters in Tahrir Square
"Everything you want will be realized", according to a Reuters witness
by Patricia Launt at 2/10/2011 3:33:30 PM7:33 AM

BBC is reporting that Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq says President
Hosni Mubarak may step down and the situation in the country will be clarified soon
by Patricia Launt at 2/10/2011 3:26:33 PM7:26 AM



Read more: http://live.reuters.com/Event/Unrest_in_Egypt

---

Please HELP Live Blog here:

***** EGYPT Live Blog ***** Al Jazeera English, et.al. - Feb. 10 *****
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x382194

[meegbear]

4. My msnbc.com iPhone app says ...

Mubarak to step down as Egypt's leader, Suleiman to take over, sources tell NBC News

And a free iPhone app would never lie.

[Ian David]

5. They finished his pyramid, so he's taking his Naquita and going home through the Stargate.

[Blue State Bandit]

61. The System Lords will be none too pleased.

[bemildred]

6. The Gov't is going to try to ram the VP-Torture down their throats. nt

[snappyturtle]

11. Didn't Mubarak appoint Suleiman? Is this change the Eygptian people

can believe in? I don't like what I've heard about Suleiman. imho

[Skip_In_Boulder]

13. That was my thought also

While we can view this as a step in the right direction we still need to keep in mind that his V.P is the chief torture in charge. But it still demonstrates what the power of the people can be.

[snappyturtle]

16. Yes! Please don't think I don't recognize the power of the protesters

have acquired.I just hope they don't jump out of the pan into the fire.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

17. No, I understand your sentiment and agree

These kind of thugs don't give up power easily and a certain amount of prudence is warranted.

[RichGirl]

28. The protesters have already said that...

...Suleman is not acceptable. He's no different than Mabarak. After all they've done thus far they aren't just going to accept this. They have shown who the boss is...them.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[snappyturtle]

26. I fear you're correct. Maybe it's not feasible however, I would like to

see elections held soon....very soon.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[snappyturtle]

66. ....only in my dreams. nt

[RichGirl]

27. Wow...

You don't just see the glass half empty...you see it completely empty!!

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[muriel_volestrangler]

32. In theory, the Egyptian constitution says the speaker is meant to take over

“What they’re asking cannot be done,” one senior Egyptian official said, citing clauses in the Egyptian Constitution that bar the vice president from assuming power. Under the Constitution, the speaker of Parliament would succeed the president. “That’s my technical answer,” the official added. “My political answer is they should mind their own business.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/world/middleeast/04diplomacy.html

But BBC radio is now reporting this as "the army is in control; they will decide what happens now".

[L. Coyote]

8. Thanks for combining ... I can REC!

[seafan]

7. Egyptian commander in Tahrir Square: 'Everything you want will be realized.'

Breaking at Al Jazeera English right now:


From Reuters:

An Egyptian army commander tells protesters in Tahrir Square "Everything you want will be realized", according to a Reuters witness
by Patricia Launt at 2/10/2011 3:33:30 PM10:33 AM

BBC is reporting that Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq says President Hosni Mubarak may step down and the situation in the country will be clarified soon
by Patricia Launt at 2/10/2011 3:26:33 PM10:26 AM

An outbreak of strikes by Egyptian workers suggests the spirit of civil disobedience is spreading, compounding the challenge to President Mubarak as he confronts the mass movement determined to oust him.
www.reuters.com
by josh.hargreaves at 2/10/2011 12:32:30 PM7:32 AM

Events are moving very fast.


On the Al Jazeera headline crawl:

Military council minus Mubarak makes national statement on ongoing crisis.

Mubarak, commander in chief of Egypt's military not present at meeting.

NDP Chief says Mubarak will step down tonight.

Military and NDP state Mubarak will meet protesters demands.

Egypt's Supreme Council of Armed Forces commits to uphold peoples' rights.

Egyptian state newspaper: NDP Chief asked Mubarak to step down and to transfer power to VP Omar Suleiman

[Bragi]

9. Fabulous! /nt

[Barack_America]

10. NBC broke in to report that Mubarak WILL step down tonight.

And that Suleiman will take over.

[cal04]

12. Egypt's Mubarak to step down

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41506482/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is to step down, two sources told NBC News on Thursday.

Following an all-day meeting of the country's supreme military council, the army said all the protesters' demands would be met and a further statement was expected to be made later Thursday, clarifying the situation.

Mubarak was also due to address the nation.


NBC News said a high-ranking source inside the president's office said that Mubarak would step down and the newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, would take over. This was then confirmed by a second source

[L. Coyote]

14. CIA: Strong likelihood Mubarak to step down. Reuters NOW = "not stepping down"

NBC is reporting that President Hosni Mubarak will step down tonight

Reuters:
A cabinet official tells Reuters that a decision on whether Mubarak will stay in power or leave is due within hours
by Patricia Launt at 7:57 AM

We're getting conflicting reports as to whether Mubarak is stepping down. Now Egypt's information minister is telling Reuters that Mubarak is still in power and is not stepping down.
by Patricia Launt at 7:59 AM

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Unrest_in_Egypt

[otohara]

15. Mission Accomplished - tweeted

by the Google guy.

[dipsydoodle]

18. Now been denied

.

[sunnystarr]

19. Bet the military wouldn't agree

to control and end the protest. They've maintained their neutral stand and the Mubarak government couldn't end the protest without them. So their neutrality gave victory to the protestors.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

21. CBS top of the hour news says that

This is a soft coup, whatever that is, but it does kind of lend some meaning to this strange statement that was made the other day by Vice President Omar Suleiman.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=378193&mesg_id=378193

[pampango]

52. Whatever has kept the army from firing on the people has doomed Mubarak.

An army willing to fire on civilians to keep him in power was his only hope. All of his concessions and bravado is just rearranging deck chairs. They won't keep him in power.

[L. Coyote]

20. Hosni Mubarak to address nation; protesters demands will be met, unclear exactly what is unfolding

Hosni Mubarak to address nation; protesters in Egypt are told demands will be met
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is set to address the nation after a general tells protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square that their demands will be met. Protesters have been adamant that Mubarak step down.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-egypt-mubarak-20110211,0,3006722.story

By Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times
February 10, 2011, 8:05 a.m. PST

Reporting from Cairo —
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Thursday he would soon address the nation following an announcement by a general in Cairo's Tahrir Square who told thousands of protesters that their demands would be met.

It was unclear exactly what was unfolding,

[Skip_In_Boulder]

23. I'm sure this situation is very fluid at the moment. n/t

[L. Coyote]

24. State television staff has fled the building!

Will Mubarak have to call Al Jazeera to address Egypt? :rofl:

[seafan]

22. Which faction of the Army is in control-- the one 'involved in detentions and torture' vs the others

This is the critical question.



From February 8, 2011:

Suleiman rejected any departure for Mubarak or "end to the regime. He told a gathering of newspaper editors that the regime prefers to deal with the crisis using dialogue, adding, "We don't want to deal with Egyptian society with police tools." He warned that the alternative to dialogue was "a coup" — a possible hint of an imposition of military rule. However, editors present at the meeting said he then explained he didn't mean a military coup but that "a force that is unprepared for rule" could overturn state institutions.

Link

[Turborama]

31. Thanks for posting. It's at times like this I give up being online & just watch history unfold on TV

:kick: & Recommended.

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. Senior member of Muslim Brotherhood: "looks like military coup"

A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood says he wants Mubarak out, but he's worried by developments because it "looks like military coup"
by Patricia Launt at 2/10/2011 5:06:42 PM5:06 PM

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Unrest_in_Egypt

[louis-t]

47. That was my first thought. When a military leader starts

making statements like this, something's up.

[maddezmom]

48. looks that way to me reading the headlines on AJ

[muriel_volestrangler]

34. Army council statement - they are 'in continuous session':

1559: Here's the full text of that army council meeting: "In the name of God, Statement No 1, issued by the Higher Council of the Armed Forces, stemming from the armed forces' responsibility and committing to the protection of the people, safeguarding their interest and security, and keen on the safety of the homeland, the citizens and the achievements of the great Egyptian people, and asserting the legitimate rights of the people, the Higher Council of the Armed Forces convened today, Thursday 10 February 2011, to deliberate on the latest developments of the situation and decided to remain in continuous session to discuss what measures and arrangements could be taken to safeguard the homeland and its achievements, and the aspirations of the great Egyptian people. Peace, mercy and the blessings of God."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[dipsydoodle]

35. If he delegates all power to the VP under article 139

the US will have its new CIA trained torturer / puppet and the Egyptian people will have gained nothing.

[FailureToCommunicate]

36. Almost as if they **planned** it that way. +1

[stillwaiting]

37. Which is why they have a long road of protesting ahead for any real change.

We won't make it easy for them.

I'm rooting for them.

[Turborama]

38. Egyptian official: Mubarak will yield power to military (& will make live announcement on TV)

Source: CNN International

President Hosni Mubarak is expected to announce Thursday night that he is yielding power to the nation's military, a senior Egyptian government official told CNN. He said the process -- which included dialogue between the government and opposition representatives -- for implementing reforms and political transition lacked support and the government was forced to step outside the realm of "constitutional authority."

"This is not a coup in the traditional sense," the official said. "But this is a transfer of the system of government from the civilian to military. The military is stepping up, recognizing its responsibility to the Egyptian people."

"These were all definite and conclusive steps toward a political process under the constitution," the official said, referring to the effort to implement reforms. "But this political process never received enough support, either from the crowd of the international community. Now we have to go outside the constitutional frame."

=snip=

Mubarak will address the nation from the presidential headquarters in Cairo on Thursday night, state-run TV said. It will be the third time he has spoken publicly since the protests -- rowdy with revolutionary fervor Thursday -- began on January 25.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/10/egypt.protests/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. He is right now on al Jazeera.

[Turborama]

42. Mubarak isn't on Al Jazeera now.

They are saying he will be broadcasting an announcement live soon, though.

[nadinbrzezinski]

43. Well just heard translator voice

[mike_c]

40. it will be a night to remember forever in Cairo, tonight....

eom

[tekisui]

41. Finally! Curious to see actually gets the power. Will it be the Speaker,

the VP or the Generals?

[FLPanhandle]

44. The generals have always had the power

They just keep a handy front man. It was Mubarak until that was inconvenient, next the VP for a short period, then someone else the public will accept.

The reality is the military was and will continue to be in power.

[tekisui]

45. AJE reported the military prevented Mubarak from giving a speech

transferring power to VP. They may enforce the Constitution and support the Speaker of the Parliament running the interim government.

[karynnj]

50. Anyone know anything about the speaker of the Parliment?

From google, he is - Egyptian Parliamentary Speaker Fathi Sorour

From the article, he is from Mubarak's party - http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/365015,government-failed-follow-parliament.html

Here's Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Fathi_Sorour (He was a Law Professor)

[tekisui]

51. Here is his wikileaks page, not a lot of info there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Fathi_Sorour

[karynnj]

53. This is the article that I've found that has a little more information on his position recently

As a result, Sorour said “the Assembly decided to speed up the process of investigating the legality of the membership of its deputies in terms of discussing the reports which will be sent by the Court of Cassation – Egypt’s highest judicial authority – very soon.”
<snip>
Sorour highly praised what he called the revolution of Egypt’s youth on 25 January, regretting that this revolution was soon exploited by “those who tried to spread chaos, resort to violence, destabilize the nation’s security, and usurp legitimate power.”

Sorour also heaped praise on President Hosni Mubarak’s two speeches on 28 January and 5 February, emphasizing that “Mubarak is Egypt’s legitimally elected president until next September.”

Sorour urged all political forces to give priority to political stability and maintaining the solidity of the internal front. He also indicated that parliament will be ready to discuss the constitutional amendments proposed by President Hosni Mubarak, including articles 76 and 77. “Once we discuss the results of the Cassation Court’s investigation of appeals, we will turn our attention to discussing proposed constitutional amendments,” said Sorour.

{/div]
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/5099/Egypt/Politics-/Parliament-adjourns-until-ruling-on-legality-of-la.aspx

While placing greatest value on stability, his comments actually mirror most of our leaders. They are at least better than Soliman's. (I wonder if the military wants him because the people would accept him and they likely would not accept Souliman. - I don't want to even count the number of speculative things in this one sentence.)

[Prometheus Bound]

58. +1

[Dappleganger]

56. Thank the power of the people!!!

:toast: :bounce: :headbang:

[Joanne98]

54. They did it!

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[Kennah]

55. Egypt awaits Hosni Mubarak address

Source: L.A. Times

President Hosni Mubarak is set to address Egypt in the next hours after an Egyptian army general spoke to the thousands of anti-Mubarak protesters gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo, telling them that their demands would be met.

It was unclear exactly what was unfolding, but demonstrators have said for the last 17 days that they would not give up their protest until Mubarak leaves office. The president has refused to step down despite increasing pressure from within his ruling party and from Washington and other Western powers.

Citing unnamed U.S. officials, CNN reported that Mubarak was preparing to step down after 30 years in power and that recently appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman would take his place.

CIA Director Leon Panetta, speaking Thursday before the House Select Committee on Intelligence, said he has received reports that Mubarak possibly might step down. "We have not got official word he will do that. We assume he will turn over his powers to Suleiman to direct the country," Panetta told the committee.


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-egypt-hosni-mubarak-20110211,0,3774670.story

---

One desperately hopes that the hard work and bravery of the protesters in Egypt is about to pay off.

Ich bin ein Egyptian.

[florida08]

57. Al Jazeera

Ruling party officials suggest Egypt's president will 'meet protesters demands', ahead of televised statement.

"Based on the responsibility of the armed forces and its commitment to protect the people and its keenness to protect the nation... and in support of the legitimate demands of the people will continue meeting on a continuous basis to examine measures to be taken to protect the nation and its gains and the ambitions of the great Egyptian people," the statement.

The army's statement was met with a roar of approval from protesters in Tahrir Square as vast crowds poured into the area.

Earlier, Hassan al-Roweni, an Egyptian army commander, told protesters in the square that "everything you want will be realised".

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/20112101653445426.html

[totodeinhere]

59. Replacing him with Suleiman probably won't be enough. I was just seeing on Al Jazeera that

many of the protesters want a clean break from the past and want Suleiman out too. And analogy would be that if shrub had resigned and had been replaced by Darth Cheney.

[Demeter]

60. That Is NOT An Improvement

[onehandle]

62. Egypt army takes charge, Mubarak to address nation (Mubarak will step down tonight - NBC)

Source: AP/MSNBC

CAIRO – Egypt's military announced on national television it had stepped in to secure the country and promised protesters calling for President Hosni Mubarak's ouster that all their demands would soon be met. Mubarak planned a speech to the nation Thursday night, raising expectations he would step down or transfer his powers.

Protesters packed in Cairo's central Tahrir Square broke into chants of "We're almost there, we're almost there" and waved V-for-victory signs as more flowed in to join them well after nightfall, bringing their numbers well over 100,000. But euphoria that they were nearing their goal of Mubarak's fall was tempered with worries that a military takeover could scuttle wider demands for true democracy. Many vowed to continue protests.

The developments created confusion over who was calling the shots in Egypt and whether Mubarak and the military were united on the next steps.

The military's moves had some trappings of an outright takeover, perhaps to push Mubarak out for the army to run the country itself in a break with the constitution. But comments by Mubarak's aides and his meetings with the top two figures in his regime — Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq — before his speech suggested he may try to carry out a constitutionally allowed half-measure of handing his powers to Suleiman while keeping his title as president.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_egypt

[SkyDaddy7]

63. Mubarak is NOT STEPPING DOWN!!!!!

[Skip_In_Boulder]

64. And the crowd is starting to get unruly

http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

[Turborama]

67. I predict a Chauchesku 'moment' for this asshole. n/t

[SleeplessinSoCal]

65. But Suleiman is now out hanging with Mubarak. I think they are both done.

[SkyDaddy7]

68. No...This is all a smoke screen & the Egyptian People know it!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

69. I think I was one of the first people to note that Suleiman was also a gonner. Yay me!