Egypt ruling party seeks talks with protesters

Egypt ruling party seeks talks with protesters 

The Secretary general of Egypt's National Democratic Party Safwat El-Sherif said Thursday that the party is ready to open a dialogue with the youths who have staged three days of antigovernment protests

Safwat El-Sherif

The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party, also called for restraint by the security forces and protesters during a rally planned for after Friday prayers.

However, Mr. el-Sharif, a longtime confidant of Mr. Mubarak, didn't offer any concessions to the protesters demanding the longtime president's ouster nor suggest that steps would be taken to address their complaints about poverty and unemployment. "The minority does not force its will on the majority," he said.

Egyptian activists are staging demonstrations for a third day in the capital Cairo and at least one other city, keeping up the momentum of the largest antigovernment protests in years.

Associated Press reporters saw scores of protesters outside the downtown Cairo offices of Egypt's lawyers' union, which has been one of the flashpoints of this week's unrest calling for the removal of Mr. Mubarak.
About 100 people were also protesting outside police headquarters in the city of Suez east of Cairo, another hot spot.

Meanwhile, Egyptian pro-reform advocate and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei is returning home Thursday to take part in the protests gripping his country.

A spokesman for the pro-reform leader, Abdul-Rahman Samir, said Mr. ElBaradei was expected to join protests planned for after Friday prayers across the country.

Mr. ElBaradei, the former head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, has emerged as a prime challenger to Mr. Mubarak's regime since he first returned home last year.
He has created a wave of support from reformists, but insists he wouldn't run in this year's presidential election unless restrictions on who is eligible to contest are lifted and far-reaching political reforms are introduced.

Mr. ElBaradei's homecoming Thursday could provide a much-needed figure for protesters to rally around as they continue to press for change, but there have been persistent questions about the depth of his commitment to bringing change.

Mr. ElBaradei, according to his detractors, spends too much time away from Egypt and may be lacking a thorough understanding of life in Egypt because of the decades he has lived abroad, first as an Egyptian diplomat and later with the U.N.

The unrest of the past two days continued to take its toll on the country's economy Thursday.

Social-networking sites have called for a mass rally in Cairo on Friday, after two days of protests by tens of thousands of people have led to clashes with security forces, leaving at least six people dead and many more wounded. Nearly 900 people are known to have been detained so far.

Egypt's largest and best-organized opposition group Muslim Brotherhood has stated its support for the protests.
In a statement posted on its website, the Brotherhood stressed the need for the protests to remain peaceful and avoided repeating the protesters' calls for an end to Mr. Mubarak's nearly 30-year rule.

Instead, the group called for new parliamentary elections under judicial supervision and the introduction of major political reforms.
This week's protests in Cairo and a string of cities across this Arab nation of some 80 million people were the biggest in years, posing a serious challenge to Mr. Mubarak's authoritarian rule at a time when many Egyptians are complaining of rising prices, unemployment and corruption.

Muslim-Christian tensions are deepening the crisis and Mr. Mubarak's failure to announce whether he would run in this year's election for another six-year term is adding to the uncertainty.

Mr. Mubarak, 82 years old, has never appointed a deputy and is thought to be grooming his son Gamal to succeed him, a father-son succession that is widely opposed and, according to leaked U.S. memos, doesn't meet with the approval of the powerful military.

All of Egypt's four presidents since the end of the monarchy in the 1950s have come from the military.

Egypt police shoot Bedouin protester dead

Egypt police shoot Bedouin protester dead 

Egypt's security source and eyewitnesses said that the Egyptian security forces shot dead a Bedouin protester in the north of Egypt's Sinai region on Thursday

Egypt police

The 22-year-old man, Mohamed Atef, was shot in the head while demonstrating in the town of Sheikh Zoweid, they said. Security forces fired tear gas to disperse dozens of protesters.

The shooting came as police fought protesters in Suez and Ismailia, two cities straddling the Suez Canal that separates Sinai from the rest of Egypt.

Bedouin, among nomadic tribes in Egypt's northeast Sinai region, often complain of neglect by the government and of police harrassment.

Egypt police show restraint, counter vandalism

Egypt police show restraint, counter vandalism

Magdy Rady
Egypt's Cabinet Spokesman

A spokesman of Egypt's Cabinet Magdy Rady said Thursday that Egyptian police are showing maximum restraint in dealing with anti-government protesters in Egypt but are intervening "strongly" in Suez in response to vandalism

"The police is keeping self restraint to the maximum but when there is an illegitimate way of expression or destruction of property they interfere," Magdy Rady told Reuters, speaking after violent clashes with police in the eastern city of Suez.

The government was urging youths on the street to be aware of the Muslim Brotherhood and others exploiting protests for "hidden agendas", he said.

Egypt banks to allow transfers, limit cash withdrawals

(Reuters) - Egypt's central bank said it would limit cash withdrawals by individuals but allow unlimited transfers abroad when banks reopen on Sunday after a week-long closure caused by the country's political protests.

Deputy Governor Hisham Ramez said the central bank's $36 billion in reserves were adequate to cover withdrawals and transfers.
"There is no problem. We will be able to honor all transactions," he said by telephone on Thursday.
Ramez dismissed concerns that the pound might weaken sharply.
"This is not true. We don't comment on currency matters, but this will not happen," he said.
Only selected branches in Cairo and major provincial cities would be open and the operating hours will be restricted to between 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. local time, he said.
The remaining branches and currency exchange shops would reopen gradually as soon as possible.
Individuals will be limited to daily withdrawals of 50,000 Egyptian pounds ($8,537) and $10,000 worth of foreign currency, whatever the denomination, but would be able to transfer as much as they want from their bank accounts.
Cash withdrawals and transfers by companies will not be restricted at all, and there will no limits for anyone on transfers abroad, he said.
The interbank lending market will also reopen without restrictions, Ramez said.
The names of the bank branches reopening on Sunday will be published in local newspapers.
(Reporting by Patrick Werr; Editing by Catherine Evans)

Egypt leaders struggle to end tumult as toll rises

(Reuters) - A bitter and, by turns, bloody confrontation gripped central Cairo on Thursday as armed government loyalists fought pro-democracy protesters demanding the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.

At least six people were dead and 800 wounded after gunmen and stick-wielding Mubarak supporters attacked demonstrators camped out for a tenth day on Tahrir Square to demand the 82-year-old leader immediately end his 30-year rule.

A literal stone's throw from the Egyptian Museum, home to 7,000 years of civilization in the most populous Arab state, angry men skirmished back and forth with rocks, clubs and makeshift shields, as the U.S.-built tanks of Mubarak's Western-funded army made sporadic efforts to separate them.

Away from the lenses of global media focused on Tahrir Square, a political battle was being fought with implications for competing Western and Islamist influence over the Middle East and its oil. European leaders joined the United States in urging their long-time Arab ally to start handing over power.

His government, newly appointed in a reshuffle that failed to appease protesters, stood by the president's insistence on Tuesday that he will go, but only when his fifth term ends in September. Mubarak continues to portray himself as a bulwark against anarchy, or a seizure of power by Islamist radicals.

The opposition won increasingly vocal support from Mubarak's long-time Western backers for a swifter handover of power.

"This process of transition must start now," the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain said in a statement.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon added his voice.

They all echoed the message President Barack Obama said he gave Mubarak in a phone call on Tuesday. U.S. officials also condemned what they called a "concerted campaign to intimidate" journalists, after many were attacked by government loyalists.

Opposition leaders including the liberal figurehead Mohamed ElBaradei and the mass Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood said again that Mubarak must go before they would negotiate.

TRIAL OF STRENGTH

As he tended to some of those on the square, doctor Mohamed al-Samadi voiced anger: "They let armed thugs come and attack us. We refuse to go. We can't let Mubarak stay eight months."

Protesters, who numbered some 10,000 on Tahrir Square on Thursday afternoon, have called major demonstrations for Friday. Many formed human chains across roads to seal off the square.

This is a trial of strength in which the army has a crucial role as its commanders seek to preserve their institution's influence and wealth in the face of massive popular rejection of the old order, widely regarded as brutal, corrupt and wasteful.

The government, which rejected assumptions by foreign powers that it had orchestrated the attacks on demonstrators, seemed to be counting on winning over the sympathy of Egyptians feeling the pinch of unprecedented economic dislocation.

Tunisia: Arrest warrant issued for ex-president Ben Ali

Tunisia has issued an international arrest warrant for ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family, the nation's justice minister has said.

Lazhar Karoui Chebbi said the interim government had asked members states to work via Interpol to detain Mr Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia on 14 January.
Mr Chebbi said Mr Ben Ali was accused of illegally acquiring property and assets and transferring funds abroad.
The minister was speaking as anti-government protests continued.
Police fired tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators after they reportedly tried to breach barricades around the prime minister's office in the capital, Tunis.
Some in crowd responded by throwing stones at the police.
They were demanding that members of the interim government who served under Mr Ben Ali - including Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and the defence, interior, finance and foreign ministers - step down.

"We have only one demand: for the government to fall. They all have to go. Ghannouchi should go first," Bassem El Barouni was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Hamid El Gribi, another protester, said: "We have to clean up the rest of the old government."
The prime minister has said he will quit "in the shortest possible timeframe" and promised to hold elections with six months.
He is reportedly preparing to announce replacements for the five opposition ministers who resigned because of the continued dominance of Mr Ben Ali's Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) party.

'This woman'
 
Earlier, Mr Chebbi, a former barrister who did not serve in the last administration, said he had issued an arrest warrant for Mr Ben Ali, his wife Leila Trabelsi, and other members of their extended family, for "illegal acquisition" of assets and "illicit transfers" of funds abroad.
"We are asking Interpol to find all those who fled, including the president and this woman, for trial in Tunisia," he told reporters. "No-one will be above the law."

The minister said seven family members were currently in Tunisian custody, and also that the head of the presidential guard and five other personnel would be put on trial for "conspiring against state security and inciting people against each other with weapons" after Mr Ben Ali's departure.
Before Mr Ben Ali was overthrown, many protesters expressed their anger at the power, wealth and influence of his wife's family. "No, no to the Trabelsis who looted the budget," was a popular slogan, while the president's relations were referred to simply as "the Mafia".
Later, Interpol confirmed that its bureau in Tunis had issued a global alert - known as an "Interpol diffusion" - requesting that member countries search for, locate and provisionally arrest Mr Ben Ali and six others. The Tunisian authorities would then formally request extradition, it said.
The BBC's Magdi Abdelhadi, in Tunis, says it is unlikely Saudi Arabia will hand them over but the warrants will restrict their ability to travel to other countries, especially in the West.
Earlier this week, the Canadian authorities refused entry to some of Mr Ben Ali's relatives. In France, prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into the former president's holdings, believed to range from apartments to racehorses.

US caution about Egypt braces for further day of protests

US caution about Egypt braces for further day of protests

The protest organisers have urged people to come out in force again after attending prayers in mosques and churches on Friday, stressing that the religion of protesters is not relevant.

More than 1000 people have been arrested in the government crackdown so far

"Egypt's Muslims and Christians will go out to fight against corruption, unemployment and oppression and absence of freedom," Reuters quoted one activist as saying.
The pro-democracy April 6 Movement said it wanted to "continue what we started on 25 January".
"We will take to the streets to demand the right to life, liberty, dignity and we call on everyone to take to the streets... and to keep going until the demands of the Egyptian people have been met," the group wrote on Facebook.
The Egyptian government, ruled by President Hosni Mubarak since 1981, tolerates little dissent and opposition demonstrations are routinely outlawed.

But on Wednesday, Mrs Clinton said it was facing "an important opportunity to implement political, economic and social reforms that respond to legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people".

"We support the universal right of the Egyptian people, including the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly," she told reporters at the state department, calling on all parties to show restraint.
Egypt is a key political and military ally of the US in the Middle East, so Washington has been cautious in its response, but it has urged the authorities "not to prevent peaceful protests nor block communications, including on social media sites".
Sites including Facebook and Twitter have been key tools in organising the protests, but are reported to have been blocked across the country at times.
The BBC's Paul Adams in Washington says the US is clearly watching events on the streets of its most populous Arab ally with growing concern, fearing the potential of violent unrest at the heart of the Arab world.
Washington has been reliant on Mr Mubarak's autocratic regime for decades, but the unrest could now mean the US has to tread very carefully as it seeks to influence events in the region, says our correspondent.

Egypt braces for further day of protests

Authorities in Egypt are bracing for the possibility of further protests, following two days of unrest that have left at least four people dead.

Egypt braces for further day of protests

On Wednesday night, activists remained on the streets of the capital Cairo and of Suez, defying official warnings.
The government has said all the protests are illegal and has launched a crackdown, arresting some 700 people.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Egypt to "respond to the legitimate needs" of the people.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says that while the protesters are still only a minority of Egyptians, they show no sign of fading away and there is a chance that many more people will join once the working week finishes on Thursday.
The government appears to have no answer to the anger and disappointment being expressed on the streets, our correspondent adds - its only response so far has been to crack down on demonstrators and increase security.

'We won't stop'
The unrest began on Tuesday in what anti-government activists called a "day of revolt", inspired by the uprising in Tunisia which ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
On Wednesday, they staged fresh demonstrations in central Cairo, despite official warnings that anyone taking to the streets would be prosecuted.

"We've started and we won't stop," one demonstrator told the AFP news agency.
Protesters burned tyres and threw stones at police and there were scuffles outside the journalists' union building, where hundreds had gathered.
Police beat some protesters with batons and fired tear gas when they tried to break through a cordon.
In addition to the four dead, a policeman and a protester were reported killed in Cairo late on Wednesday, although the authorities said this was not related to the demonstrations.
In the eastern city of Suez, at least 55 people were injured.


The protests in Cairo continued late into the early hours of Thursday morning - small groups were reported to be breaking off from the main demonstrations, throwing stones at police who responded with tear gas.
About 700 people have been arrested across the country as the authorities have sought to rein in the unrest.
The Associated Press news agency says at least eight journalists are among those detained, including an AP cameraman and his assistant.
The agency says one of its photographers had his cheekbone fractured by a policeman while taking photos of a protest in Cairo on Wednesday.