Egypt Protesters Say Army Guarantees Fall Short

Egypt's powerful army pledged on Friday to guarantee President Hosni Mubarak's reforms in a move to defuse a popular uprising, but many angry protesters said this failed to meet their key demand that he resign immediately.

The guarantees were seen as an army push to calm the worst crisis in Egypt's modern history but a clear signal it wanted demonstrators off the streets and an end to an 18-day revolt which has disrupted the economy and shaken the Middle East.

Protesters enraged at Mubarak's refusal to quit pledged to march from Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square to the presidential palace on Friday, raising fears of a confrontation between elite troops and demonstrators.

"This is not our demand," one protester said, after relaying the contents of the army statement to the Tahrir Square demonstration.

"We have one demand, that Mubarak step down." An increasingly sour stand-off in the uprising has raised fears of violence in the most populous Arab nation, a key U.S. ally in an oil-producing region where the chance of chaos spreading to other repressive states troubles the West.

In "Communique No. 2" the army said it "confirms the lifting of the state of emergency as soon as the current circumstances end", a pledge that would remove a law imposed after Mubarak became president following Anwar Sadat's assassination in 1981 and that protesters say has long been used to stifle dissent.

The army also promised to guarantee free and fair elections and other concessions made by Mubarak to protesters that would have been unthinkable before Jan. 25 when the revolt began. Around 300 people may have been killed since then. Troops have promised to protect the right to demonstrate.

But a lengthening showdown over Mubarak's 30-year rule could test that resolve, with many Egyptians keen to end the economic disruption and the army keen to show it can impose order."The armed forces are there to protect the demonstrators and to protect the country but the powers have been handed over, not to the military, but to the vice president," Finance Minister Samir Radwan said in an interview with Reuters, after concern the military could decide to resolve the crisis with a coup.

"Nobody likes a military rule, that is for sure. Our military have so far shown that they are the safety valve of this country," he said before the statement was issued ahead of noon prayers.Tens of thousands of anti-Mubarak protesters assembled in Tahrir Square before Friday prayers while troops in tanks and armored vehicles stood by for what organizers billed as their biggest display of indignation yet.

Several dozen protesters also gathered outside Mubarak's palace, demanding he resign now and the army did not try to remove them, a Reuters witness said. Razor wire and six tanks and armored vehicles separated them from the palace.

"Down, down Hosni Mubarak!" chanted the protesters, who had apparently been allowed to approach the palace in the suburb of Heliopolis.

A sign delivering the same message was attached to razor wire blocking one of the entrances to the residence.

Protester Promise Palace March

A member of one of the youth movements behind the protests said the demonstrators would "take over the palace".

"We'll have masses of Egyptians after Friday prayer to take it over," said Ahmed Farouk, 27. "The army has been neutral and did not harm any of us."

Protesters emerged from dozens of tents where they had bedded down for a night of frustration and disappointment, having turned up for a resignation speech only to hear Mubarak say he planned to hand over powers to his deputy.

He also said the transfer was in line with the constitution which left him in ultimate charge, and able to return.

"We will march to the palace and oust Mubarak, and we know the world is on our side," said Nurhaan Ismael, a protester, 34. "The army is relaxed at the moment. They put barbed wire all around (the roads to the palace) but they know the will of the people will topple anything," Ismael told Reuters.

The national anthem played over the public address system at Tahrir Square before noon prayers, after which the political rally demanding Mubarak bow out started in earnest.The army, from politically plugged-in generals to poor conscripts and junior officers, is key to what happens next.

"This poses a real dilemma for the army," said Rosemary Hollis at London's City University. "Are they going to allow the demonstrators to escalate their demonstrations so that they push the point that Mubarak has got to go, and that means the army definitely does split with Mubarak? The demonstrators are very disappointed and there will be violence."

"Sinking Ship"

Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace prize winner and former U.N. diplomat who runs a liberal political movement, wrote on Twitter: "Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now." "I think total chaos reigns within the regime. It is like the Titanic.

The rats are leaving the sinking ship," ElBaradei, former head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, told Austrian paper Die Presse in an interview published on Friday.

U.S. President Barack Obama sounded less than satisfied by Mubarak's latest concessions, saying he must explain changes he was making and do more to offer a path toward democracy.

For some hours on Thursday night there had been euphoria in Tahrir Square, after a military communique that many read as a prelude to an army move to strip the 82-year-old former air force commander of power.

Some believed the pledge to protect the nation by a high command that is respected throughout Egypt was effectively a military coup designed to force the president's hand.

Rallies in Cairo and other cities turned festive expecting that Mubarak was about to resign in a televised address.

Within minutes of his broadcast starting, however, protesters were waving shoes and jeering in contempt as Mubarak launched into a lengthy explanation of his role in supervising a review of constitutional arrangements before he would quit, as he had said, at a presidential election due in September.

Vice President Omar Suleiman, a 74-year-old former intelligence chief who has maintained close relations with the United States and Israel, later appeared on television himself to promise a "road map" to democratic elections.

Even if delegated powers, Suleiman cannot dissolve parliament, request constitutional amendments or sack the cabinet according to article 82.

There is a dispute over whether the president could hand him even those powers if he chose.

Mubarak Calls the Shots

Demonstrators, who two weeks ago could scarcely have dreamed of winning such concessions, vowed to keep pressing for Mubarak's immediate departure and an end to the military-dominated system in place for six decades.

Egypt's ambassador to Washington said it was clear that Suleiman was now "de facto president".But Egyptian analysts said Mubarak still held the reins of powers and could retrieve presidential powers from Suleiman at any time.

Washington's approach has been based on Egypt's strategic importance: a rare Arab state no longer hostile to Israel, the guardian of the Suez Canal linking Europe and Asia and a major force against militant Islam in the Middle East.

The United States has pressed Mubarak to speed the pace of reform but stopped short of demanding his resignation.

Radwan sought to reassure foreign investors on Friday, saying the military was not intervening in daily government matters and that the budget and inflation were under control, although the upheaval would cut into growth.

"This is not our demand," one protester said, after relaying the contents of the army statement to the Tahrir Square demonstration. "We have one demand, that Mubarak step down."

An increasingly sour stand-off in the uprising has raised fears of violence in the most populous Arab nation, a key U.S. ally in an oil-producing region where the chance of chaos spreading to other repressive states troubles the West.

In "Communique No. 2" the army said it "confirms the lifting of the state of emergency as soon as the current circumstances end," a pledge that would remove a law imposed after Mubarak became president following Anwar Sadat's assassination in 1981 and that protesters say has long been used to stifle dissent.

The army also promised to guarantee free and fair elections and other concessions made by Mubarak to protesters that would have been unthinkable before January 25 when the revolt began. Around 300 people may have been killed since then.

Troops have promised to protect the right to demonstrate. But a lengthening showdown over Mubarak's 30-year rule could test that resolve, with many Egyptians keen to end the economic disruption and the army keen to show it can impose order.

"The armed forces are there to protect the demonstrators and to protect the country but the powers have been handed over, not to the military, but to the vice president," Finance Minister Samir Radwan said in an interview with Reuters, after concern the military could decide to resolve the crisis with a coup.

"Down, down Hosni Mubarak!" chanted the protesters, who had apparently been allowed to approach the palace in the suburb of Heliopolis. A sign delivering the same message was attached to razor wire blocking one of the entrances to the residence.

PROTESTERS PROMISE PALACE MARCH

A member of one of the youth movements behind the protests said the demonstrators would "take over the palace."

"We'll have masses of Egyptians after Friday prayer to take it over," said Ahmed Farouk, 27."The army has been neutral and did not harm any of us."

He also said the transfer was in line with the constitution which left him in ultimate charge, and able to return.

"We will march to the palace and oust Mubarak, and we know the world is on our side," said Nurhaan Ismael, a protester, 34.

"The army is relaxed at the moment. They put barbed wire all around (the roads to the palace) but they know the will of the people will topple anything," Ismael told Reuters.

The national anthem played over the public address system at Tahrir Square before noon prayers, after which the political rally demanding Mubarak bow out started in earnest.

The army, from politically plugged-in generals to poor conscripts and junior officers, is key to what happens next.

"SINKING SHIP"

Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace prize winner and former U.N. diplomat who runs a liberal political movement, wrote on Twitter: "Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now."

"I think total chaos reigns within the regime. It is like the Titanic. The rats are leaving the sinking ship," ElBaradei, former head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, told Austrian paper Die Presse in an interview published on Friday.

U.S. President Barack Obama sounded less than satisfied by Mubarak's latest concessions, saying he must explain changes he was making and do more to offer a path toward democracy.

Some believed the pledge to protect the nation by a high command that is respected throughout Egypt was effectively a military coup designed to force the president's hand.

Rallies in Cairo and other cities turned festive expecting that Mubarak was about to resign in a televised address.

Even if delegated powers, Suleiman cannot dissolve parliament, request constitutional amendments or sack the cabinet according to article 82. There is a dispute over whether the president could hand him even those powers if he chose.

MUBARAK CALLS THE SHOTS

Egypt's ambassador to Washington said it was clear that Suleiman was now "de facto president." But Egyptian analysts said Mubarak still held the reins of powers and could retrieve presidential powers from Suleiman at any time.

The United States has pressed Mubarak to speed the pace of reform but stopped short of demanding his resignation.Radwan sought to reassure foreign investors on Friday, saying the military was not intervening in daily government matters and that the budget and inflation were under control, although the upheaval would cut into growth.