Egypt protesters camp out, Mubarak turns to army

Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei speaks to protesters at Tahrir Square in Cairo January 30, 2011. Reuters/Asmaa Waguih

CAIRO, (Reuters) – Egyptian protesters were camped  out in central Cairo last night and vowed to stay until they had  toppled President Hosni Mubarak, whose fate appeared to hang on  the military as pressure mounted from the street and abroad.

“The army has to choose between Egypt and Mubarak,” read one  banner in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where demonstrators shared food  with soldiers sent to restore order after violent protests shook  Mubarak’s 30-year rule to its core.

Six days of unrest has killed more than 100 people but the  two sides have reached a stalemate. Protesters refuse to go,  while the army is not moving them. The longer protesters stay  unchallenged, the more untenable Mubarak’s position seems.

Protesters in Tahrir Square, epicentre of the earthquake  that has sent shudders through the Middle East and among global  investors, have dismissed Mubarak’s appointment of military men  as his vice president and prime minister.

His promises of economic reform to address public anger at  rising prices, unemployment and huge gap between rich and poor  have failed to halt their broader calls for a political sweep  out of Mubarak and his associates.

Protesters take part in a demonstration at Tahrir Square in Cairo January 30, 2011. Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei told thousands of protesters in central Cairo yesterday that an uprising against Hosni Mubarak's rule "cannot go back". The banner reads: "Leave, Mubarak." REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

Protesters have called for a general strike today and  what they bill as a “protest of the millions” march on Tuesday,  to press their demands for democracy which could spell the end  for the military establishment which has run post-colonial Egypt  since the 1950s.

The United States, an ally which has poured billions of  dollars of aid into Egypt since Mubarak came to power, stopped  just short of saying it wanted him out yesterday when President  Barack Obama talked to world leaders of an “orderly transition.”

For many, however, the writing is on the wall. “Mubarak’s  time has run out,” an Obama adviser told the New York Times.

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff  and highest-ranking U.S. military officer, praised the  “professionalism” of Egypt’s armed forces as its troops  refrained from a crackdown on protesters. Egypt receives about  $1.3 billion a year in U.S. military aid.

“Both men reaffirmed their desire to see the partnership  between our two militaries continue, and they pledged to stay in  touch,” said Capt. John Kirby.

In this still image taken from video, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak attends a meeting in Cairo January 30, 2011. Reuters/Egyptian State TV

Mubarak, a former air force chief, has turned to his  military commanders, meeting them on Sunday. They seem to hold  his future in their hands. Egypt’s defence minister spoke by  phone to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates yesterday.

The crisis in Egypt, prompted by another revolt in Tunisia,  sent U.S. crude oil futures more than 4 percent higher on Friday  on concerns it could spread and destabilise the Middle East.  Global equities have also been rattled.

Egypt’s financial markets will be closed for a second  working day in a row on Monday and the turmoil could quickly run  down its substantial reserves if it continues.

“Mubarak’s predictability has long been counted on by the  West, and with that on the verge of disappearing, investors and  politicians around the region are nervous,” said Akram Annous,  MENA strategist at Al Mal Capital.

An Egyptian opposition coalition that includes the mass  Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood has turned to retired  diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the U.N. nuclear  watchdog, to form a national unity government and make contact  with the military.

ElBaradei has urged Obama to call time on Mubarak.

Demonstrators celebrate atop an army tank in Tahrir square during protests in Cairo January 29, 2011. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

“It is better for President Obama not to appear that he is  the last one to say to President Mubarak, ‘It’s time for you to  go,” he told CNN.

ElBaradei disappointed the opposition for spending too much  time abroad since he first launched a campaign calling for  political reform in Egypt last year. But he lends the weight of  his international reputation to a movement that lacks a leader.

‘NO MORE PHARAOHS’

“I think he is a good guy. He wasn’t prepared for what  happened. All we care about is that we don’t get another  pharaoh,” said Rami Nabil, 39, a businessman camped in Tahrir.

“We need a system of government that is democratic and long  term, not more pharaohs.”
A short distance from the protests, shooting echoed over  Cairo. Impromptu neighbourhood watch groups set up checkpoints  across the city centre, checking anyone passing by.

Some of the self-appointed guards said shooting in one area  near Cairo’s supreme court was the result of looters in a  chemical company building.

Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei speaks to protesters at Tahrir Square in Cairo January 30, 2011. Reuters/Asmaa Waguih

But security, which disintegrated after police were  withdrawn from the streets, has been slowly restored. Extra  troops sent into cities helped calm panicked residents and the  official news agency said police patrols had resumed.

While the army has sought to stop lawlessness, there is no  sign it is willing to drive the protesters off the street.
“In the next few days security and stability will return,”  said Brigadier Atef Said in Suez, east of Cairo and the scene of  some of the worst of the violence between police and protesters.

“We will allow protests in the coming days. Everyone has the  right to voice their opinion. We’re listening and trying to help  and satisfy all parties. We’re not here to stop anyone. These  are our people,” he said.