Politics | 02.02.2011

Mubarak supporters clash with Cairo protesters

 

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Clashes have broken out between pro-and-anti Mubarak protesters

Pro- and anti-Mubarak supporters clashed Wednesday with reports of a military conscript being killed and hundreds of people injured. Western leaders have condemned the violence and urged restraint on all sides.

 

There are reports that the army has for the first time fired live shots to disperse protesters after violent clashes broke out between thousands of pro-and anti-government supporters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the scene of week-long demonstrations against President Hosni Mubark's 30-year regime.
Supporters from both camps threw stones and Molotov cocktails at each other with nearly 600 people reported injured, while a number of journalists were also reportedly attacked by pro-Mubarak demonstrators. A military recruit was reportedly killed late Wednesday when he got caught up in the unrest on the streets of the capital.
Speaking in London after talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged both sides to show restraint. "I am deeply concerned by the continuing violence in Egypt. Any attack against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and I strongly condemn it."
The White House issued a statement condemning the violence and urging all sides to show restraint.
Opposition groups have called on anti-Mubarak demonstrators to keep up their protests ahead of a mass rally planned for Friday, dubbed "Friday of departure."
Protesters continued to demand an immediate resignation from Mubarak after the leader reiterated on Tuesday his plan to stay in office until September's presidential elections.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Mubarak wants to stay in power until SeptemberMubarak said he would stay in power through to the end of his term "to ensure the peaceful transfer of power," and that he would not leave Egypt, as many of the protesters have demanded.
"This is my country," he said. "This is where I lived, I fought and defended its land, sovereignty and interests, and I will die on its soil."
He also promised to make a series of reforms to the law and constitution, including calling on the judiciary to combat corruption
West urges 'swift action'
Western leaders welcomed Mubarak's decision but urged concrete and swift steps. A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wedneday Berlin was "pressing for and hoping for a speedy transition to a new era of democracy and full civil rights in Egypt. We are just hoping very much that at the end of of this path we actually see what millions of people on the streets fo Cairo and Alexandria are clearly dreaming of, namely freedom and human rights."
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said it was "good that President Mubarak wants to clear the way for a new political beginning." It was "critical," he added that "concrete actions follow the announcements of real dialogue" - and that all political positions be represented.
The EU's foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, urged Mubarak to move swiftly on a transition process. "We need to see movement. We call for him to do things as quickly as possible."
The United States, Egypt's most important Western ally, had urged Mubarak to institute democratic reforms but stopped short of echoing protesters' calls for his immediate resignation. President Barack Obama said in a brief statement after Mubarak's address that he had spoken with the Egyptian president and urged him not to delay in preparing for a transition of power.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  The US is Egypt's most important ally
"What is clear, and what I indicated tonight to President Mubarak is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now," he said.
Obama also praised the Egyptian military for holding its fire during the protests and reached out to the Egyptian people angry with their government.
"To the people of Egypt, particularly to the young people of Egypt, I want to be clear: We hear your voices," he said. "I have an unyielding belief that you will determine your own destiny."
Protests peak
Tuesday's protests were the biggest yet, with hundreds of thousands of protesters thronging the streets of Cairo and Egypt's second city Alexandria earlier in the day in a relentless effort to force Mubarak to step down.
The eight-day revolt has claimed the lives of an estimated 300 people, according to UN figures. More than 3,000 have been injured.
Author: Rob Mudge, (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Nicole Goebel

 

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