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Huge Protests Fan Egypt Unrest
BBC BEWS, MIDDLE EAST
February 1, 2011: Egyptian protesters are holding huge rallies in Cairo and other cities as they step up their efforts to force President Hosni Mubarak from power. The demonstration has been the largest since the protests began. The atmosphere has been festive, with protesters singing and chanting. Protest leaders, including Mohamed ElBaradei, have called on Mr Mubarak to step down by Friday at the latest.
There are reports that Mr Mubarak has met special US envoy Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt who was sent back to Cairo on Monday.
The UN human rights chief, Navi Pillay, says 300 people may been killed across the country since the protests began a week ago. They followed an Internet campaign and were partly inspired by the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia last month.
AFP news agency reported that US Ambassador Margaret Scobey had spoken by phone to Mr ElBaradei. In an opinion piece for the New York Times, US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee head John Kerry called on Mr Mubarak to step down and engineer a peaceful transition.
In Egypt's second biggest city, Alexandria, thousands of people have gathered to call for the president to step down. Thousands more were out in the streets in Suez, and the Associated Press news agency reported protests in Mansoura, north of Cairo, and the southern cities of Assiut and Luxor.
With limited bus, train and internal flight services, access to the capital has been restricted. Unnamed security officials were reported as saying all roads and public transportation to Cairo had been shut down. Some protesters camped out in Tahrir Square on Monday night, saying they would stay there until Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule ended.
Meanwhile, crowds of pro-Mubarak demonstrators held counter-protests elsewhere in the capital, raising fears of possible confrontations between the different groups.
On Monday, the Egyptian army said it respected the "legitimate rights of the people".
In its statement, carried on Egyptian media, the military said: "To the great people of Egypt, your armed forces, acknowledging the legitimate rights of the people... have not and will not use force against the Egyptian people."
Correspondents say the announcement is absolutely critical because it takes away a huge measure of uncertainty from the mind of any potential demonstrator.
A coalition of political opposition groups - incorporating the Muslim Brotherhood, political parties such as that led by Mr ElBaradei, and other prominent figures - has reportedly met, and told the Egyptian government that it will begin talks on its demands only after Mr Mubarak has stood down.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has said he will not stand for re-election in September, as protests against his rule grow. Speaking on state TV, Mr Mubarak promised constitutional reform, but said he wanted to stay until the end of his current presidential term. The BBC's Jim Muir, among the protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, says the crowd erupted in jubilation after hearing the president's speech.
Mr Mubarak said he would devote his remaining time in power to ensuring a peaceful transition of power to his successor. "My first priority is to restore peace and stability in our country, to ensure the peaceful transition of leadership, and to ensure that the responsibility goes to whomever the people of Egypt choose in the next election. I do not intend to stand for election again," he said. "The events of the past few days require us all - people and leaders - to make the choice between chaos and stability, and dictate new conditions and a new Egyptian reality," he said.
Opposition politician George Ishak told the BBC expressed dismay at the speech. "We are very disappointed and we are very angry. We have very clear demands and he denied everything that we demanded. He has to go now. I am afraid now of what will happen in the future," he said.
