and he’s making his announcement now (Mubarak. see previous blog post) “i have initiated the formation of a new government …which will respond to our …in dialog with all political forces, we have discussed reforms… but there are political forces who have rejected this invitation to dialog….holding on to their private agenda…and with their rejection, … i will directly speak to my people….old people, young people, Egyptian men and women, ….i never wanted power and prestige, …. i am also a man of the army and it is not in my nature to give up responsibiltiy, my first resposnsi…to achieve a peaceful transition of power…which will allow responsibility to …. with all honesty …. i was not intent on standing for the next elections because i have spent enough time serving Egypt…. by presenting Egypt to the next govenrment in a constitutional ..in the next few months i will work hard to carry out the necessary measures to transfer power to the authorized legitimate…. the constitutional item…should be changed in order to allow specific periods for the presidency and in order for parliament…. guarantee that all political powers will contribute to these discussions… i ask parliament to commit to speed up elections… i will pursue the transfer of power ….for the people’s demands….employment opportunities…. police, carry out the role of protecting the citizens…ask censorship authorities to carry out immediately every measure those who are corrupt …all the destructive acts and looting and fires…this is my promise, i ask of God that he will help me to do my job my way that will be satisfactory…Egypt will come out of this….stronger than before…our people will become more aware more careful not to sacrifice…”
i transcribed it, live from Cairo, credits to CNN, it’s 5:07 am Manila time
breaking news: amid a quarter million Egyptians on Tahrir Square (translated: Liberation Square) defying all his orders and edicts and calling for his resignation, dictator Mubarak to announce in a few minutes he would not run in the elections in September.
(a deal the New York Times reported as having been brokered by U.S. President Obama)
If you’re a Filipino…what is your advice to the Egyptians...?
My advice is: He can say that — but he should say it from his vacation house in London. (Resign, go away)
go na, now na
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Obama Urges Mubarak Not to Run Again
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and MARK LANDLER
Published: February 1, 2011
“CAIRO — President Obama has told the embattled president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, that he should not run for another term in elections scheduled for the fall, effectively withdrawing American support for its closest Arab ally, according to American diplomats in Cairo and Washington.
“Largest Crowds Yet Demand Change in Egypt (February 2, 2011)
“State television said that Mr. Mubarak would address the nation Tuesday evening, and it was expected that he would announce that he would not run for another term.
“But it was far from certain that the concession would placate protesters in the streets of Cairo, who have made the president’s immediate and unconditional resignation a bedrock demand of their movement.
“The message from Mr. Obama was conveyed to Mr. Mubarak by Frank G. Wisner, a seasoned former diplomat with deep ties to Egypt, the American diplomats said. Mr. Wisner’s message, they said, was not a blunt demand for Mr. Mubarak to step aside now, but rather 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 favored Mr. Mubarak turning over the reins to a transitional government, composed of leaders of the opposition movement and perhaps under the leadership of Mohamed ElBaradei, or to a caretaker government led by members of the existing regime, including the newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman.
“The decision to nudge Mr. Mubarak in the direction of leaving is a critical step for the United States in defining its dealings not just with its most critical ally in the Arab world, but also 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 had been expected to leave Egypt on Tuesday but decided to extend his stay, 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 adviser, Thomas E. Donilon.
“Reinforcing the administration’s message to Mr. Mubarak was an Op-Ed article in The New York Times on Tuesday by Senator 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.”
