MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

President Mubarak Devoted to protecting Egypt as Unrest Continues

Mr Mubarak said in his address he was 'working for the people'

Saying he remains devoted to protecting Egypt, a defiant President Hosani Mubarak vowed to change his Cabinet to help bring social, economic and political reforms to the country, but defended his security forces' crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Mubarak called the protests, which seek his ouster after three decades in power, part of a plot to destabilize Egypt and destroy the legitimacy of his regime.

“I take responsibility for the safety of this country and the citizens,” Mubarak said in a televised address. “I will protect Egypt.”

Earlier Friday, a senior Egyptian military official decided to return, cutting short a visit to the United States as demonstrations continued to escalate, officials said.

At a news conference at the Pentagon, Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that Lt. Gen. Sami Enan, chief of staff of Egypt's armed forces, was in the United States with a delegation for routine talks with military officials.

The talks were scheduled to extend into next week but Enan decided he needed to return to Egypt.

Police and protesters clashed across Egypt on Friday, and opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei was doused by a water cannon before escaping the batons of riot police and taking cover in a Cairo mosque.

Late in the day, army tanks and trucks flowed into Cairo, the capital, to augment the police. At least one building was on fire.

A 6pm-to-dawn curfew was imposed, but it was ignored by many protesters, who remained in the streets well after dark. Sounds of gunfire could also be heard in downtown Cairo after dark.

In Cairo's Tahrir Square, near the National Museum, protesters ignoring the curfew were swarming the area Friday night. Police had pulled back a few blocks to protect the parliament building.

Protesters set fires at the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party, and demonstrators were also seen trying to enter the Foreign Ministry and state TV headquarters. There was no major army presence in the area.

Late Friday, there was a heavy army and police presence around the presidential palace. Scores of them were standing shoulder-to-shoulder. They were diverting people in a wide circle around the palace.

Despite the curfew and the distant smell of tear gas, there were hundreds of people milling in the streets. They included families with children, people drinking coffee, chatting with police.

Protesters did not appear to be afraid. The mood seemed festive. Children were out playing soccer, a couple of wedding parties were attempting to celebrate despite all of the trouble elsewhere in the city.

At the airport, dozens of people remained stranded because of the curfew.

The chaos was a visceral sign that the government of Mubarak would confront even peaceful marches with tough, rapid force, including firing tear gas and concussion grenades. ElBaradei, who had been trying to lead a demonstration when he was forced inside, called the tactics “barbaric” and condemned the government for using “inhumane weapons.”

As he sat shaken and drenched, his eyes stinging from tear gas, ElBaradei, 68, said protesters had called for nonviolent change, “but I think that opportunity is over. It's now the people versus the thugs.”

He added it was “time for the international community to express its view on the so-called stability of the Egyptian government. If they don't do that now, they will lose the residue of credibility they have in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world.”

In Washington, White House and State Department officials urged the Egyptian government to halt violent and repressive measures, and to take steps to begin sharing more power with the opposition.

Speaking earlier in the day Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “It’s important to recognise that the people involved do have legitimate grievances, economic grievances and political grievances, and it’s very important for the authorities to respond positively to that and to be able to hold out the hope and prospect of reform in the future. That is the answer to these situations rather than repression”

The Foreign Secretary emphasized that it is “very important to have a more open and democratic system, to have a viable opposition in Egypt” and “they needed to move in the direction of political reform.”

Commenting on the wider region, he noted that while it was important to recognise difference between the situation in countries across the Middle East, there “is a message coming through from many countries in the region that they do want to see the possibility of improved living standards, of more open political systems and that is a case worth making to all of the leaders of the regions”.

He said: ”We deeply regret the loss of life in the Egyptian protests. All parties should show restraint and avoid violence. It is important that the government listens to the concerns of those demonstrating and respects rights of freedom of assembly and expression. Openness, transparency and political freedom are important tenets of stability. We urge the government and demonstrators to seek a peaceful way forward.”

 Stocks worldwide plunged the most since November, crude oil jumped and the dollar gained against the euro after protests in Egypt intensified and President Hosni Mubarak imposed a nationwide curfew. http://topics.bloomberg.com/egypt/ Egypt’s dollar bonds sank, pushing yields to a record high.