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| ElBaradei warns that Egypt protests could turn more violent Posted: 05 Feb 2011 06:57 PM PST  Opposition demonstrators stand in front of army tanks alongside the Egyptian Museum on the front line near Tahrir Square in Cairo on February 5, 2011. — Reuters pic Mubarak has reshuffled his government, and the leadership of his party resigned yesterday, but the 82-year-old president insists he will stay in office until September polls. Fearing instability in the most populous Arab nation where Islamists are the most organised opposition, the United States, Egypt's key ally and aid donor, is emphasising gradual change and the need for talks between the government and opposition groups to forge agreement on an orderly handover of power. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threw her weight behind talks between Mubarak's handpicked vice president, Omar Suleiman, and opposition groups, saying the government's fragile dialogue with the opposition must be given time to unfold. "There are forces at work in any society, and particularly one that is facing these kinds of challenges, that will try to derail or overtake the process to pursue their own specific agenda," Clinton told a security conference in Munich. She did not name the forces, but Washington has expressed concern about any involvement of militant Islamist elements. "Which is why I think it's important to support the transition process announced by the Egyptian government, actually headed by now Vice President Omar Suleiman." ElBaradei said it would be a "major setback" if the United States were to support either Mubarak or Suleiman to lead a transitional government to oversee change. TRANSITION OR BLOODSHED? Demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square yesterday were smaller than Friday's huge protest by hundreds of thousands billed as the "Day of Departure" for Mubarak, but there were still queues at an army checkpoint to get into the square. A key test will be whether the momentum of protest can be maintained when the working week begins again today. The Egyptian government appears to trying to emphasise the threat to stability and the economy posed by the protests, and tough it out, hoping the demonstrations will fade away. ElBaradei said he did not think the protests were running out of steam and worried the situation could get even bloodier. "There is of course a little fatigue everywhere," he told Reuters, adding that there was a "hard core" of demonstrators who would not give up as long as Mubarak held onto power. "It might not be every day but what I hear is that they might stage demonstrations every other day," ElBaradei said. "The difference is that it would become more angry and more vicious. And I do not want to see it turning from a beautiful, peaceful revolution into a bloody revolution." US President Barack Obama has urged Mubarak to "make the right decision" and US officials have over the past week indicated they believe his days in power may be numbered. But Clinton, seeking to place renewed emphasis on the process of political transition, underscored the US view that it will take both time and patience to lay the groundwork for truly democratic new elections to take place. "Our view is the early discussions are the right thing for the government to have initiated and now the opposition should get involved in them to test the proposition that the government is serious," said one senior US official. Suleiman is due to meet opposition groups at 11:00 a.m. (9 a.m. British time) today in talks joined for the first time by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most influential and organised opposition group. They are to discuss the process of Mubarak leaving office and the right to protest freely and safely. A proposal being promoted by a group of Egyptians calling itself the "The Council of Wise Men" involves Suleiman assuming presidential powers for an interim period pending elections. But some opposition figures argue that would mean the next presidential election would be held under the same unfair conditions as in previous years. They want to first have a new parliament to change the constitution to pave the way for a presidential vote that is democratic. ECONOMIC SUFFERING With some protesters insisting they want not just Mubarak but also his allies out straight away, moves to keep the veteran president in office are unlikely to go down well. An Egyptian army commander was shouted down when he tried to persuade thousands of demonstrators at Tahrir Square to stop a protest that has stalled economic life in the capital. "You all have the right to express yourselves but please save what is left of Egypt. Look around you," Hassan al-Roweny said through a loud speaker and standing on a podium. The crowd responded with shouts that Mubarak should resign. Roweny then left, saying: "I will not speak amid such chants." Egypt's economy is already suffering. Growth, which was running at 6 per cent, will be hit, said Central Bank Governor Farouk el-Okdah. There will also be movement in the Egyptian pound, he said, but the bank has enough reserves to cope. Exports fell six percent in January because of the mass protests and curfew, Trade Minister Samiha Fawzi Ibrahim said. A Credit Agricole report said the crisis was costing Egypt about $310 million (RM945.5 million) a day. Many shops have been closed during 12 days of protests and banks have been shut, making it hard for Egyptians to stock up on basic goods. Some prices have been pushed up. Saboteurs blew up a gas pipeline in northern Egypt overnight, disrupting flows to Israel and also to Jordan, where protesters angered by economic hardship have been demanding a more democratic political system. Islamist websites had called for attacks on the pipeline. The United Nations estimates 300 people have died in the unrest and the health minister has said around 5,000 people have been wounded since January 25. — Reuters
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| Clinton puts US focus on Egypt transition Posted: 05 Feb 2011 04:44 PM PST MUNICH, Feb 6 — The United States said yesterday it backs Egypt's drive for orderly reforms to allow democratic elections in a sign of a new US emphasis on gradual transition to resolve the crisis over President Hosni Mubarak's rule. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threw her weight behind the reform effort launched by Mubarak's handpicked Vice President, Omar Suleiman, saying the government's fragile dialogue with the opposition must be given time to unfold or risk being derailed by radical forces. "There are forces at work in any society, and particularly one that is facing these kinds of challenges, that will try to derail or overtake the process to pursue their own specific agenda," Clinton told a security conference in Munich. "Which is why I think it's important to support the transition process announced by the Egyptian Government, actually headed by now Vice President Omar Suleiman." Suleiman began meeting independent opposition figures yesterday to go through various options, including a proposal for him to assume the president's powers for an interim period. US Vice President Joe Biden telephoned Suleiman yesterday to ask about progress on the transition as well as to express concern over continued attacks on civil groups and detention of journalists, activists and human rights advocates, the White House said in a statement. "He stressed the need for a concrete reform agenda, a clear timeline, and immediate steps that demonstrate to the public and the opposition that the Egyptian government is committed to reform," the statement said. In one reform gesture, the leadership of Mubarak's ruling party quit yesterday following 12 days of protests that have shaken Egypt to its core. But protesters dismissed the move as a ruse that would not deter them from their goal of ousting the president immediately. US officials said Clinton was not explicitly endorsing a future political role for Suleiman, Mubarak's long-time intelligence chief who is viewed sceptically by many in Egypt's opposition movement. US President Barack Obama himself has urged Mubarak to "make the right decision" and US officials have over the past week indicated they believe his days in power may be numbered. But Clinton, seeking to place renewed emphasis on the process of political transition, underscored the US view that it will take both time and patience to lay the groundwork for truly democratic new elections to take place. "Our view is the early discussions are the right thing for the government to have initiated and now the opposition should get involved in them to test the proposition that the government is serious," said one senior US official. Obama has repeatedly urged Mubarak to begin the transition immediately, and Clinton said she believed that this process was already under way and should be allowed time to mature. "The principles are very clear, the operational details are very challenging," Clinton said on organising future elections. "President Mubarak has announced he will not stand for re-election, nor will his son," she said, noting that the government had also pledged constitutional reforms and allowing greater political participation. "That is what the government has said it is trying to do, that is what we are supporting, and hope to see it move as orderly but as expeditiously as possible under the circumstances." A BREATHER FOR MUBARAK? The US position was further clouded Saturday by comments from a retired US diplomat who Obama sent as his envoy to speak to Mubarak. Frank Wisner told the Munich meeting by teleconference Mubarak should stay in place at least for now. "We need to get a national consensus around the pre-conditions for the next step forward. The president must stay in office to steer those changes," Wisner said. The State Department scrambled to distance itself from Wisner's remarks, saying it appreciated his work in Cairo but did not necessarily share his views on Mubarak's future. "He has not continued in any official capacity following the trip. The views he expressed today are his own. He did not coordinate his comments with the US government," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. Egypt has dominated Clinton's schedule at the Munich conference, where she used her speech to warn that the broader Middle East faces a "perfect storm" of unrest unless regional leaders get cracking on political reforms. Egypt has been a US ally throughout Mubarak's 30-year tenure and it is strategically vital to American interests because of its peace treaty with Israel, control of the Suez Canal and steadfast opposition to militant Islam. Washington's approach to the Egyptian crisis is also being closely watched by other US-allied leaders in the region, ranging from oil giant Saudi Arabia to Yemen, now an important frontline state in the battle against al Qaeda. The United States gives Egypt more than US$1.3 billion (RM3.96 billion) a year in military aid, giving Washington political leverage, albeit limited. —Reuters |
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