Mubarak’s Adversaries Stand Firm in Egypt
Posted on Feb 7, 2011
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s latest bid to dial down the intensity of the protests against his regime aren’t deterring the opposition, as resistance groups mobilized to keep up their efforts Tuesday. —KA
Pro-democracy campaigners called another mass demonstration for Tuesday to keep up the pressure on Mubarak to quit in the face of the government’s attempts to marginalise the street protests as no longer relevant because political talks are under way.
In Washington, Barack Obama expressed optimism about developments in Egypt. “Obviously Egypt has to negotiate a path, and I think they’re making progress,” he said.
But there remains considerable suspicion within the opposition about the intentions of Mubarak’s vice-president, Omar Suleiman, who is overseeing the political transition and leading the negotiations, particularly after the continued arrest of opposition activists and fresh harassment of the press.
AP / Lefteris Pitarakis
An Egyptian anti-government demonstrator is seen in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Monday.