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<font size=4><b>Defiant Mubarak refuses to resign<br><br>
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<a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/2011210172519776830.html" eudora="autourl">
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/2011210172519776830.html</a>
<br>
Egyptian president vows to remain in office until his term ends in
September, and not bow down to 'foreign pressure'.<br>
Last Modified: 10 Feb 2011 21:28 GMT <br><br>
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has refused to step down from his
post, saying that he will not bow to "foreign pressure" in a
televised address to the nation.<br><br>
Mubarak announced that he had put into place a framework that would lead
to the amendment of six constitutional articles in the address late on
Thursday night.<br><br>
"I can not and will not accept to be dictated orders from outside,
no matter what the source is," Mubarak said.<br><br>
He said he was addressing his people with a "speech from the
heart".<br>
<br><br>
Mubarak said that he is "totally committed to fulfilling all the
promises" that he has earlier made regarding constitutional and
political reform.<br><br>
"I have laid down a vision ... to exit the current crisis, and to
realise the demands voiced by the youth and citizens ... without
undermining the constitution in a manner that ensures the stability of
our society," he said.<br><br>
Mubarak said he had "initiated a very constructive national dialogue
... and this dialogue has yielded preliminary agreement in stances and
views".<br><br>
He said he would stick by his earlier announcement of not seeking
re-election in September, though he did delegate some powers to Omar
Suleiman, the vice-president.<br><br>
A state of emergency, which has been in place since Mubarak took power 30
years ago, remains in place, though the president promised to lift it as
some unspecified point in the future.<br><br>
"I will remain adamant to shoulder my responsibility, protecting the
constitution and safeguarding the interests of Egyptians [until the next
elections].<br><br>
"This is the oath I have taken before God and the nation, and I will
continue to keep this oath," he said.<br><br>
Mubarak said the current "moment was not against my personality,
against Hosni Mubarak", and concluded by saying that he would not
leave Egyptian soil until he was "buried under it".<br><br>
Mubarak's comments were not well-received by hundreds of thousands
gathered at Cairo's Tahrir [Liberation] Square and in other cities, who
erupted into angry chants against him. Pro-democracy protesters had been
expecting Mubarak to resign, and their mood of celebration quickly turned
to extreme anger as they heard the president's speech.<br><br>
Rawya Rageh, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Liberation Square said the
"mood completely altered as the president progressed with his
speech", with protesters expressing "frustration and
anger" at him.<br><br>
Hundreds took off their shoes and waved them angrily at a screen showing
Mubarak's speech, shouting "Leave, leave!"<br><br>
<b>Army meeting<br><br>
</b>Earlier, the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces had met to
discuss the ongoing protests against Mubarak's government.<br><br>
In a statement entitled 'Communique Number One', televised on state
television, the army said it had convened the meeting response to the
current political turmoil, and that it would continue to convene such
meetings.<br><br>
Thurday's meeting was chaired by Mohamed Tantawi, the defence minister,
rather than Mubarak, who, as president, would normally have headed the
meeting.<br><br>
"Based on the responsibility of the armed forces and its commitment
to protect the people and its keenness to protect the nation... and in
support of the legitimate demands of the people [the army] will continue
meeting on a continuous basis to examine measures to be taken to protect
the nation and its gains and the ambitions of the great Egyptian
people," the statement.<br><br>
Tens of thousands poured into Tahrir Square after the army statement was
televised. Thousands also gathered in Alexandria, Egypt's second city,
our correspondent there said.<br><br>
Earlier, Hassan al-Roweni, an Egyptian army commander, told protesters in
the square that "everything you want will be
realised".<br><br>
Hassam Badrawi, the secretary general of the ruling National Democratic
Party (NDP), told the BBC and Channel 4 News earlier on that he expected
Mubarak to hand over his powers to Omar Suleiman, the vice-president
during his address.<br><br>
"I think the right thing to do now is to take the action that would
satisfy ... protesters," Badrawi told BBC television in a live
interview.<br><br>
Ahmed Shafiq, the country's prime minister, also told the BBC that the
president may step down on Thursday evening, and that the situation would
be "clarified soon". He told the Reuters news agency, however,
that Mubarak remained in control, and that "everything is still in
the hands of the president".<br><br>
However, Anas el-Fekky, Egypt's information minister, denied all reports
of Mubarak resigning from early in the day.<br><br>
"The president is still in power and he is not stepping down,"
el-Fekky told Reuters. "The president is not stepping down and
everything you heard in the media is a rumour."<br><br>
Mubarak met with Omar Suleiman, the vice-president, at the presidential
palace ahead of his address.<br><br>
<b>'Witnessing history unfold'<br><br>
</b>Mahmoud Zaher, a retired general in the Egyptian army, said that
Mubarak's absence from the army meeting was a "clear and strong
indication that [Mubarak] is no longer present", implying that the
Egyptian president was not playing a role in governance any longer.
<br><br>
In short comments ahead of a scheduled speech at Northern Michigan
University, Barack Obama, the US president, said the US was watching the
situation in Egypt "very closely". Mubarak had not spoken at
that time.<br><br>
"What is absolutely clear is that we are witnessing history
unfold," he said, adding that this was a "moment of
transformation" for Egypt.<br><br>
"Going forward, we want ... all Egyptians to know that America will
continue to do everything that we can to support an orderly and genuine
transition to democracy."<br><br>
Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, responded to reports that
Mubarak may resign by saying that he hoped whoever replaced him would
uphold Egypt's peace treaty with Israel, according to an Israeli radio
report.<br><br>
Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foriegn affairs chief, said that
the 27-nation bloc is ready to help Egypt build a "deep
democracy".<br><br>
"I reiterated that no matter what happens in the next hours and
days, the European Union stands ready to hep build the deep democracy
that will underpin stability for the people of Egypt," she said in a
statement, referring to a conversation she had with Aboul Gheit, the
Egyptian foreign minister, earlier in the day.<br><br>
Protesters had earlier responded to statements from political leaders as
indicating that they had been successful in their key demand of wanting
Mubarak to step down.<br><br>
Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who has played a key role in helping
protesters get organised, said on the microblogging site Twitter on
Thursday evening: "Mission accomplished. Thanks to all the brave
young Egyptians." <br><br>
Jacky Rowland, our correspondent in Tahrir Square, described the
atmosphere as "electric", with "standing room only"
in the central Cairo area. She said that thousands gathered there were
"celebrating a victory which has been anticipated, rather than
actually achieved".<br><br>
In Alexandria, Jamal ElShayyal, our correspondent, said the atmosphere
had turned "from joyous to now furious".<br><br>
<b>Labour union strikes<br><br>
</b>The developments came as the 17th day of pro-democracy protests
continued across the country on Thursday, with labour unions joining
pro-democracy protesters.<br><br>
Egyptian labour unions held nationwide strikes for a second day, adding
momentum to the pro-democracy demonstrations in Cairo and other cities.
<br><br>
Al Jazeera correspondents in Cairo reported that thousands of doctors,
medical students and lawyers, the doctors dressed in white coats and the
lawyers in black robes, marched in central Cairo earlier on Thursday and
were hailed by pro-democracy protesters as they entered Tahrir
[Liberation] Square.<br><br>
The artists syndicate and public transport workers, including bus
drivers, also joined the strikes, our correspondents reported.<br><br>
Pro-democracy supporters across the country had early on Thursday called
for a ten-million strong demonstration to take place after this week's
Friday prayers.<br><br>
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