U.S. and Egypt square off over protesters' demands

[Guest guest]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110209/wl_nm/us_egypt

U.S. and Egypt square off over protesters' demands

By Yasmine Saleh and Werr Yasmine Saleh And Werr – 59 mins ago

CAIRO (Reuters) – The government of embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

hit back on Wednesday at what it called U.S. attempts to " impose " American will

on a loyal Middle East ally, saying rapid reforms would be too risky.

But as pro-democracy protesters consolidated a new encampment around Cairo's

parliament building, the White House again said that Egyptian ministers must do

more to meet the demands of demonstrators, who want an immediate end to

Mubarak's 30 years of one-man rule and sweeping legislative changes.

Interviewed by U.S. broadcaster PBS, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit -- a

survivor of the reshuffle Mubarak undertook in a vain attempt to staunch the

protests -- said he was " amazed " by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who had urged

an immediate end to the emergency law Mubarak has long used to curb opposition.

" When you speak about prompt, immediate, now -- as if you are imposing on a

great country like Egypt, a great friend that has always maintained the best of

relationship with the United States -- you are imposing your will on him, " Aboul

Gheit said.

Since protests began two weeks ago, partly inspired by the overthrow of another

Arab autocrat in Tunisia, U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has

trodden a sometimes hazy line between support for a key Arab ally in

Washington's conflict with militant Islam and backing for those demanding

democracy.

It has stopped short of endorsing calls for Mubarak, 82, to quit immediately. He

said last week he would step down in September when an election is due. But U.S.

officials have also voiced irritation with the pace of promised reforms,

supporting the protesters in their hope of immediate, concrete change.

White House spokesman Gibbs said the number of Egyptians on the streets

was still growing and that Mubarak's government needed " real, concrete " measures

to satisfy them.

" What you see happening on the streets of Cairo is not all that surprising when

you see the lack of steps that their government has taken to meet their

concerns, " Gibbs said.

STREET PROTESTS

A day after one of the biggest protests so far in the capital, the main focus of

the opposition, Tahrir, or Liberation, Square remained crowded. Organizers were

already looking forward to another major push on the streets on Friday.

Karam Mohamed, from Beheira province in the Nile Delta, said the protests were

growing: " We are putting pressure on them little by little and in the end they

will fall, " he said.

Protesters said the Organizers were working on plans to move on to the state

radio and television building on Friday.

Hundreds of others consolidated a new encampment on the street outside

parliament. On the building's main gate hung a sign reading: " Closed until the

regime falls. "

The office of the new prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, is nearby. He met business

leaders on Wednesday and told them that he was still seeking foreign investment

to help expand the economy:

" But our immediate priority now is to pass this crisis with the least damage

possible, " his spokesman Magdy Rady said.

The impasse in Egypt, the most populous Arab state with 80 million people and on

key transit routes for oil and cargo, has crimped its own economy and has had

knock-on effects worldwide.

The price of benchmark Brent crude oil rose some 2 percent on Wednesday, to near

$102 a barrel, partly on fear of political instability spreading to major oil

producers like Saudi Arabia.

Analysts at Credit Agricole bank estimate the crisis is costing Egypt $310

million a day. The Suez Canal, a vital source of income, reported a 1.6 percent

drop in revenue in January from December. But revenue was up from a year

earlier, and officials say operations have been unaffected by the turmoil.

VIOLENCE

Four people were killed and several suffered gunshot wounds in clashes between

security forces and some 3,000 protesters in a desert province far from Cairo on

Tuesday and Wednesday.

It appeared to be the most serious such clash with official forces since January

28, when police all but disappeared from Egyptian streets after they had beaten,

teargassed and fired on protesters. Last week, there was bloodshed in Cairo when

Mubarak loyalists in plain clothes attacked protesters.

Al Qaeda's Iraq-based arm, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), attacked the

Egyptian government for failing to implement strict Islamic law, and said it was

better for Muslims to die fighting their government rather than live under its

rule.

It called on Egyptian Muslims to free all prisoners from jails after Vice

President Suleiman said on Tuesday that militants linked to al Qaeda were

among thousands who escaped from behind bars after January 28.

The ISI's links to Egyptian militants and the strength of its influence are

unclear, but some analysts said the group may have inspired a deadly attack on

an Egyptian church last month.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's mass Islamist movement, renounced violence as a

means to achieve political change decades ago and has warned that government

efforts to stamp out its influence could push some toward more radical ideas.

With Mubarak refusing to step down before his term ends in September, the

government has tried to portray itself as a bulwark against militant Islam and

called for a return to normality for the sake of the economy.

Suleiman, who has been spearheading talks with opposition groups including the

Brotherhood, has said there was now a road map to hand over power, but

protesters have been unmoved.

A constitutional committee, appointed by Mubarak, has agreed on six articles

that should be amended and said further articles could also be changed, the

official news agency reported.

The articles including those governing presidential elections and terms of

office. Opposition groups do not want new elections held under what they say are

unfair existing laws.

The Muslim Brotherhood said " real talks " on handing over power had yet to begin.

It said it was sticking to its demand that Mubarak step aside immediately.

(Reporting by Samia Nakhoul, Tom , Dina Zayed, Marwa Awad, Hammond,

Dziadosz, Yasmine Saleh, Sherine El Madany, Werr, Edmund

Blair, and Alison in Cairo, and

Dokoupil in Dubai, Arshad Mohammed in Washington, Stamp in London and

Rohan in Berlin; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

[Guest guest]

First of all, there really isn't such a thing as one man rule of a nation. One man might be the front man, but there are many, many behind him.

What I'm watching is the Muslim Brotherhood. They are likely to be a major player in the new Egypt, if not THE player. The more power they have, the less stable the entire region will be and the more likely there will be war with Israel with all that that entails.

In a message dated 2/9/2011 5:28:26 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

But as pro-democracy protesters consolidated a new encampment around Cairo's parliament building, the White House again said that Egyptian ministers must do more to meet the demands of demonstrators, who want an immediate end to Mubarak's 30 years of one-man rule and sweeping legislative changes.