http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/2011210172519776830.html
Defiant Mubarak refuses to resign
Egyptian president vows he will stay in office until September, and will not
bow down to 'foreign pressure'.
Last Modified: 10 Feb 2011 21:20 GMT
Thousands thronged Tahrir Square after the army's statement, in
anticipation of Mubarak possibly resigning [EPA]
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has refused to step down from his post,
saying that he will not bow to "foreign pressure" in a televised address to the
nation.
Mubarak announced that he had put into place a framework that would lead to the
amendment of six constitutional articles in the address late on Thursday night.
"I can not and will not accept to be dictated orders from outside, no matter
what the source is," Mubarak said.
He said he was addressing his people with a "speech from the heart".
Click here for more of Al Jazeera's special coverage
Mubarak said that he is "totally committed to fulfilling all the promises" that
he has earlier made regarding constituional and political reform.
"I have laid down a vision ... to exit the current crisis, and to realise the
demands voiced by the youth and citizens ... without undermining the
constitution in a manner that ensures the stability of our society," he said.
He said he would stick by his earlier announcment of not seeking re-election in
September, though he did delegate some powers to Omar Suleiman, the
vice-president.
"I will remain adamant to shoulder my responsibility, protecting the
constitution and safeguarding the interests of Egyptians [until the next
elections].
"This is the oath I have taken before God and the nation, and I will continue
to keep this oath," he said.
Mubarak said the current "moment was not against my personality, against Hosni
Mubarak", and concluded by saying that he would not leave Egyptian soil until
he was "buried under it".
Mubarak's comments were not well-received by hundreds of thousands gathered at
Cairo's Tahrir Square and in other cities, who erupted into angry chants
against him. Pro-democracy protesters had been expecting Mubarak to resign, and
their mood of celebration quickly turned to extreme anger as they heard the
president's speech.
Army meeting
Earlier, the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces had met to discuss the
ongoing protests against Mubarak's government.
In a statement entitled 'Communique Number One', televised on state television,
the army said it had convened the meeting response to the current political
turmoil, and that it would continue to convene such meetings.
Thurday's meeting was chaired by Mohamed Tantawi, the defence minister, rather
than Mubarak, who, as president, would normally have headed the meeting.
"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 [the army] 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.
Tens of thousands poured into Tahrir Square after the army statement was
televised. Thousands also gathered in Alexandria, Egypt's second city, our
correspondent said.
Earlier, Hassan al-Roweni, an Egyptian army commander, told protesters in the
square that "everything you want will be realised".
Hassam Badrawi, the secretary general of the ruling National Democratic Party
(NDP), told the BBC and Channel 4 News earlier on that he expected Mubarak to
hand over his powers to Omar Suleiman, the vice-president.
"I think the right thing to do now is to take the action that would satisfy ...
protesters," Badrawi told BBC television in a live interview.
Ahmed Shafiq, the country's prime minister, also told the BBC that the
president may step down on Thursday evening, and that the situation would be
"clarified soon". He told the Reuters news agency, however, that Mubarak
remained in control, and that "everything is still in the hands of the
president".
However, Anas el-Fekky, Egypt's information minister, denied all reports of
Mubarak resigning from early in the day.
"The president is still in power and he is not stepping down," el-Fekky told
Reuters. "The president is not stepping down and everything you heard in the
media is a rumour."
Mubarak met with Omar Suleiman, the vice-president, at the presidential palace
ahead of his address.
'Witnessing history unfold'
Mahmoud Zaher, a retired general in the Egyptian army, said that Mubarak's
absence from the army meeting was a "clear and strong indication that [Mubarak]
is no longer present", implying that the Egyptian president was not playing a
role in governance any longer.
There was a festive atmosphere amongst protesters ahead of the speech, as
they expected
Mubarak's resignation[Reuters]
In short comments ahead of a scheduled speech at Northern Michigan University,
Barack Obama, the US president, said the US was watching the situation in Egypt
"very closely". Mubarak had not spoken at that time.
"What is absolutely clear is that we are witnessing history unfold," he said,
adding that this was a "moment of transformation" for Egypt.
"Going forward, we want ... all Egyptians to know that America will continue to
do everything that we can to support an orderly and genuine transition to
democracy."
Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, responded to reports that
Mubarak may resign by saying that he hoped whoever replaced him would uphold
Egypt's peace treaty with Israel, according to an Israeli radio report.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foriegn affairs chief, said that the
27-nation bloc is ready to help Egypt build a "deep democracy".
"I reiterated that no matter what happens in the next hours and days, the
European Union stands ready to hep build the deep democracy that will underpin
stability for the people of Egypt," she said in a statement, referring to a
conversation she had with Aboul Gheit, the Egyptian foreign minister, earlier
in the day.
Protesters had earlier responded to statements from political leaders as
indicating that they had been successful in their key demand of wanting Mubarak
to step down.
Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who has played a key role in helping
protesters get organised, said on the microblogging site Twitter on Thursday
evening: "Mission accomplished. Thanks to all the brave young Egyptians."
Jacky Rowland, our correspondent in Tahrir Square, described the atmosphere as
"electric", with "standing room only" in the central Cairo area. She said that
thousands gathered there were "celebrating a victory which has been
anticipated, rather than actually achieved".
In Alexandria, Jamal ElShayyal, our correspondent, said the atmosphere had
turned "from joyous to now furious".
Labour union strikes
The developments came as the 17th day of pro-democracy protests continued
across the country on Thursday, with labour unions joining pro-democracy
protesters.
Egyptian labour unions held nationwide strikes for a second day, adding
momentum to the pro-democracy demonstrations in Cairo and other cities.
Al Jazeera correspondents in Cairo reported that thousands of doctors, medical
students and lawyers, the doctors dressed in white coats and the lawyers in
black robes, marched in central Cairo earlier on Thursday and were hailed by
pro-democracy protesters as they entered Tahrir [Liberation] Square.
The artists syndicate and public transport workers, including bus drivers, also
joined the strikes, our correspondents reported.
Pro-democracy supporters across the country had early on Thursday called for a
ten-million strong demonstration to take place after this week's Friday prayers.
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