Mubarak will not run for re-election

[S Landreth]

Egyptian President Mubarak to Announce He Won’t Run for “Re-Election”


Al Jazeera English, Reuters, MSNBC, and other media outlets are reporting that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will announce shortly that he will not seek “re-election” in September’s national election.

Earlier today, Turkey’s president, Tayyip Erdogan, urged Mubarak hasten his departure from leadership. The White House, seemingly still playing catch-up, has (according to AJE and the New York Times) told Mubarak he should not run in September.

Given the tide of events, it is hard to imagine this “concession” on behalf of Mubarak will satisfy the large and growing number of protestors that still fill the streets and squares of most of Egypt’s major cities.

We will update as events develop.

more: BREAKING: Egyptian President Mubarak to Announce He Won’t Run for “Re-Election” | Firedoglake

[billy the kid]

don't think that will wash with folk.

[Panda]

don't think that will wash with folk.

Yep, its a ploy to buy time for his US backed regime to regroup and select another leader. Opposition parties will still be banned and the secret police will still be abducting, imprisoning and murdering political dissenters.

An interim government of national unity is the only way to get free and fair elections in September.

The trouble is that USA doesnt want to see a possible anti-Israel government democratically elected in Egypt. USA are clearly pulling the strings here. They contribute about one third of the funding for the Egyptian military which gives them some pretty big leverage on who rules Egypt and what their alliances will be.

An Israel friendly, US friendly continuation of the current regime (all be it with a few concessions to the Egyptian people), and a new leader, is what USA and the current Egyptian regime is aiming for. However, its not necessarily what the people of Egypt want.

Expect the Egyptian military to turn on the people if they continue to demand an interim national unity government until free and fair elections in September. The Egyptian military takes its orders from Washington ($$$) these days.

[Boon Mee]

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?… Obama White House Open to Role of Islamists in New Egyptian Government

Jimmy Carter – Take Two…

Brilliant. The Obama Administration supports the inclusion of Islamists in a new Egyptian government.
The LA Times reported:

The Obama administration said for the first time that it supports a role for groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned Islamist organization, in a reformed Egyptian government.
The organization must reject violence and recognize democratic goals if the U.S. is to be comfortable with it taking part in the government, the White House said. But by even setting conditions for the involvement of such nonsecular groups, the administration took a surprise step in the midst of the crisis that has enveloped Egypt for the last week.
The statement was an acknowledgment that any popularly accepted new government will probably include groups that are not considered friendly to U.S. interests, and was a signal that the White House is prepared for that probability after 30 years of reliable relations with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Monday’s statement was a “pretty clear sign that the U.S. isn’t going to advocate a narrow form of pluralism, but a broad one,” said Robert Malley, a Mideast peace negotiator in the Clinton administration. U.S. officials have previously pressed for broader participation in Egypt’s government.

What could possibly go wrong?

[S Landreth]

Al Jazeera reporting protesters (some) saying they will march on the Palace, Friday.

[Butterfly]

Yep, its a ploy to buy time for his US backed regime to regroup and select another leader.

definitely,

Expect the Egyptian military to turn on the people if they continue to demand an interim national unity government until free and fair elections in September.

yep, sadly it's going to end in a blood bath

they need to raid the Presidential Palace and the US Embassy

[The Ghost Of The Moog]

they need to raid the US Embassy

Yes, you've said this about 20 times, I think we've perceived the baited hook.

Its regrettable that people power protesters are seldom very democratic, and won't wait for elections. They just want their minority leverage to oust who they demand ousted, and the interim Government be someone acceptable to their vocal protest - but not necessarily anyone else in the electorate.

If HM does step down immediately, his recently designated Vice President would take over (as happened after People Power protests in Indonesia and Philippines ousted Presidents). Not some completely unelected outsider anointed by the crowd.

[Butterfly]

Yes, you've said this about 20 times, I think we've perceived the baited hook.

worth repeating until it happens

[DrAndy]

The Obama Administration supports the inclusion of Islamists

yes, but not a democratically elected Islamic party in power

[Butterfly]

Its regrettable that people power protesters are seldom very democratic, and won't wait for elections. They just want their minority leverage to oust who they demand ousted,

indeed, the dictatorship and the fascism nature of the crowd is well documented, but a necessary evil when you are dealing with an equally negative force on the other end.

An angry crowd never represent the majority or the will of the people despite what some here naively believe, in extreme cases they might, but they are exceptions.

Egypt is currently such exception

[Panda]

Al Jazeera reporting protesters (some) saying they will march on the Palace, Friday.

When Washington gives the order the Egyptian generals will authorize the use of deadly force against the demonstrators. The only reason Washington is holding off on a crackdown at the moment is to see if the protesters will accept the proposed compromise deal with the current US backed regime staying in place under new leadership.

The likely outcome is that some of the protesters will accept the compromise while some will not and thus be forced into making a stand by marching on the Presidential Palace. Thats where the army comes into play putting down the protests by use of force under the pretense of keeping the peace and allowing the "new" government to function.

In the end it will be the same US puppet regime in power with perhaps a few minor concessions to keep the Egyptian people at bay.

[harrybarracuda]

There are too many threads open on what is essentially one subject.

Anyway, I flicked on Sky News on my Abu Dhabi TV box this morning, and what do you know, it says "No Signal". Funnily enough all the other channels work fine.

I really wouldn't expect them to be crapping themselves.

[Mr Gribbs]

Al Jazeera reporting protesters (some) saying they will march on the Palace, Friday.

When Washington gives the order the Egyptian generals will authorize the use of deadly force against the demonstrators. The only reason Washington is holding off on a crackdown at the moment is to see if the protesters will accept the proposed compromise deal with the current US backed regime staying in place under new leadership.

The likely outcome is that some of the protesters will accept the compromise while some will not and thus be forced into making a stand by marching on the Presidential Palace. Thats where the army comes into play putting down the protests by use of force under the pretense of keeping the peace and allowing the "new" government to function.

In the end it will be the same US puppet regime in power with perhaps a few minor concessions to keep the Egyptian people at bay.

Mubarak and the Egyptian military are not puppets, they do what is best for them, not the US or any other country.

[harrybarracuda]

Al Jazeera reporting protesters (some) saying they will march on the Palace, Friday.

When Washington gives the order the Egyptian generals will authorize the use of deadly force against the demonstrators. The only reason Washington is holding off on a crackdown at the moment is to see if the protesters will accept the proposed compromise deal with the current US backed regime staying in place under new leadership.

The likely outcome is that some of the protesters will accept the compromise while some will not and thus be forced into making a stand by marching on the Presidential Palace. Thats where the army comes into play putting down the protests by use of force under the pretense of keeping the peace and allowing the "new" government to function.

In the end it will be the same US puppet regime in power with perhaps a few minor concessions to keep the Egyptian people at bay.

Mubarak and the Egyptian military are not puppets, they do what is best for them, not the US or any other country.

You don't think the billion dollar "aid" package influences them then?

[harrybarracuda]

There are too many threads open on what is essentially one subject.

Anyway, I flicked on Sky News on my Abu Dhabi TV box this morning, and what do you know, it says "No Signal". Funnily enough all the other channels work fine.

I really wouldn't expect them to be crapping themselves.

Just came back on, so I'm assuming technical fault.

[Mr Gribbs]

Al Jazeera reporting protesters (some) saying they will march on the Palace, Friday.

When Washington gives the order the Egyptian generals will authorize the use of deadly force against the demonstrators. The only reason Washington is holding off on a crackdown at the moment is to see if the protesters will accept the proposed compromise deal with the current US backed regime staying in place under new leadership.

The likely outcome is that some of the protesters will accept the compromise while some will not and thus be forced into making a stand by marching on the Presidential Palace. Thats where the army comes into play putting down the protests by use of force under the pretense of keeping the peace and allowing the "new" government to function.

In the end it will be the same US puppet regime in power with perhaps a few minor concessions to keep the Egyptian people at bay.

Mubarak and the Egyptian military are not puppets, they do what is best for them, not the US or any other country.

You don't think the billion dollar "aid" package influences them then?

Sure, but for a country of 80 million people a billion dollars is a drop in the bucket. They are entering any partnerships to better their position, not a foreigners. Mubarak was against the Iraq war, he never made domestic concessions the US has been calling for, he never selected a Vice President, he intended to make his son the next leader. If he was a foreign puppet with no support inside Egypt he wouldn't have lasted thirty seconds let alone thirty years. The problems in Egypt are larger then Mubarak, no leader is going to be able to fix the problems there. Egypt has 80 million people with a still growing population, 40 percent of those people live in utter poverty. There is no way they could take those people out of poverty and give them fairly good lives because they don't have the resources to do so.

[The Ghost Of The Moog]

Mubarak was against the Iraq war, he never made domestic concessions the US has been calling for, he never selected a Vice President, he intended to make his son the next leader. If he was a foreign puppet with no support inside Egypt he wouldn't have lasted thirty seconds let alone thirty years.

I have a similar hunch, that whilst it has plenty of clout - America doesn't have as much say as people automatically assume. Mubarak has seen out about six US administrations. He has his own emplaced power structures.

[Butterfly]

he is simply playing the US, that's no secret and that's why we have a revolt now

he is like a regional manager for a big international corp, nobody is checking on him and he can do what he wants until the quarterly reports come in

a disastrous quarter ? he is out,

this is why Mubarak will go, he fucked up the "management" of America assets in the region

[Mr Gribbs]

Mubarak was against the Iraq war, he never made domestic concessions the US has been calling for, he never selected a Vice President, he intended to make his son the next leader. If he was a foreign puppet with no support inside Egypt he wouldn't have lasted thirty seconds let alone thirty years.

I have a similar hunch, that whilst it has plenty of clout - America doesn't have as much say as people automatically assume. Mubarak has seen out about six US administrations. He has his own emplaced power structures.

Yeah, I don't think the first thing Mubarak does when he wakes up in the morning is think of how he can benefit the United States of America that day. His main goal is to benefit himself, his family, and his cronies. Egypt has voted against the US interest 79% of the time in the United Nations, that hardly comes off as a puppet to me.

[harrybarracuda]

Egypt has voted against the US interest 79% of the time in the United Nations, that hardly comes off as a puppet to me.

Can you give us an example of a "US interest" in the UN against which Egypt has voted?

[Mr Gribbs]

Egypt has voted against the US interest 79% of the time in the United Nations, that hardly comes off as a puppet to me.

Can you give us an example of a "US interest" in the UN against which Egypt has voted?

UN resolution to investigate war crimes committed in Gaza, which included the Goldstone report. The US voted not to have the accusations investigated, while Egypt voted to have them investigated. If Egypt was a US puppet, they would have voted the same way as the US.

[Takeovers]

Can you give us an example of a "US interest" in the UN against which Egypt has voted?

Egypt has veto power? Amazing!

I never knew.

[harrybarracuda]

Egypt has voted against the US interest 79% of the time in the United Nations, that hardly comes off as a puppet to me.

Can you give us an example of a "US interest" in the UN against which Egypt has voted?

UN resolution to investigate war crimes committed in Gaza, which included the Goldstone report. The US voted not to have the accusations investigated, while Egypt voted to have them investigated. If Egypt was a US puppet, they would have voted the same way as the US.

Why is investigating war crimes in Gaza a "US interest" exactly?

[Panda]

Mubarak and the Egyptian military are not puppets, they do what is best for them, not the US or any other country.

Thats US $2 Billion a year in whats good for them.

A few $million of that goes to economic aid but it pales into insignificance when compared to the huge military aid.


F.A.Q. on U.S. Aid to Egypt: Where Does the Money Go—And Who Decides How It’s Spent? - ProPublica

[harrybarracuda]

Egypt has voted against the US interest 79% of the time in the United Nations, that hardly comes off as a puppet to me.

Can you give us an example of a "US interest" in the UN against which Egypt has voted?

UN resolution to investigate war crimes committed in Gaza, which included the Goldstone report. The US voted not to have the accusations investigated, while Egypt voted to have them investigated. If Egypt was a US puppet, they would have voted the same way as the US.

Why is investigating war crimes in Gaza a "US interest" exactly?

You're right, Mr. Gribbs, it is rather a rhetorical question.

Care to try again?

Can you give us an example of a "US interest" in the UN against which Egypt has voted?