10h51: Prayers reaching a climax now in Tahrir Square, with cries of "Allahu Akbar" - god is great - clearly audible.
10h47: Impressive scenes in Tahrir Square - Friday prayers have begun and thousands of people bow down, answering a muezzin's call with a responsive echo.
10h46: Mr Hague echoed the observations of many at the events of last night, remarking that the long build-up to Mr Mubarak's speech had indeed raised hopes of a more dramatic announcement.
10h43: UK Foreign Secretary William Hague tells the BBC it is not yet clear what powers Hosni Mubarak has transferred to his vice-president, and says the Egyptian authorities are now in a "very difficult position".
10h38: It will be interesting today to see how many people peel off from Tahrir Square to head for the state TV building or presidential palace. Will a multi-pronged protest prove more powerful, or could the force of the demonstrations be diluted?
10h37: CNN's Ben Wedeman tweets: "One of Cairo's sharpest says keep close eye on Army officers joining protesters: "tired, tense and worried about shedding blood" #Egypt"
10h35: Maha Azzam, Associate Fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the London think-tank Chatham House says the latest statement by the army "is not going to placate" the protesters. "It's too vague, it's not precise, it's not saying the emergency law is lifted now". Ms Azzam says the upper echelons of the army "have separated themselves from Mr Mubarak in terms of him as a personality. But they are part and parcel of the regime. We are talking about a military that has gained from the regime, that was the backbone of the regime and now wants to sideline Mubarak. But that doesn't mean that it wants to hand over everything to a civilian government and take a backstage role."
10h31: 1 Nadia El-Awady tweets: "numbers not very large at pres palace. I hope more come after prayer #egypt #jan25"
10h30: Protester Gigi Ibrahim in Tahrir Square tells the BBC World Service that protesters are "more determined than ever" following Mr Mubarak's speech last night. She says demonstrators are not worried about losing their salaries as a consequence of the protests, because "people have been suffering economically for years. Now it's about dignity and wanting to be treated as a human being."
10h26: Journalist Shahira Amin, deputy editor of state-run Nile TV until she resigned last week, is outside her old office in Cairo and tells the BBC World Service that about 1,000 protesters have gathered there. "People aren't allowed into the building or out," she says. There are no signs that the demonstrators intend to storm the building. "They are very, very angry, but so far there has been self-restraint and control."
10h25: For those wanting to catch up on the subtle trends in the US position on Egypt the BBC's North Americas editor Mark Mardell has a new blog entry: "President Obama is running out of patience with the Egyptian government," he writes.
10h23: Free and fair elections, promised by the army statement, would be something of a new development for Egypt. Hosni Mubarak won three elections unopposed after 1981, and just one in which he faced rival candidates. Recent parliamentary elections were heavily criticised.
10h18: Cairo correspondent for The Wall Street Journal Matt Bradley tweets: "It seems if there was a rupture between the military and the president last night, it is now closed. #jan25"
10h10: This promise to repeal the state of emergency is a major concession - though it is not immediate. First, the army is calling for a return to normal life.
10h04: Emergency powers have been in place in Egypt since 1981 - the year Hosni Mubarak came to power. Critics have long lobbied for its repeal, saying it is one of the main causes of human rights violations. Mr Mubarak repeatedly promised to replace it, but never did so.
09h55: Blogger and activist Sandmonkey tweets: "The army just neutralised itself. They won't remove the president, but will ensure that the people's demands will be met #jan25."
09h55: The military statement says the armed forces will protect the implementation of promised reforms including free and fair presidential elections. It calls the demands of the protesters "legitimate" and says it will not pursue those who have rejected corruption and called for reform.
09h50: Military statement from Egypt's armed forces: Egyptian army announces that it will lift the state of emergency when the current situation ends.
09h48: And in the left-leaning daily Haaretz, Avi Issacharoff suggests that Mr Mubarak had "in effect vacated his position" already: "It is doubtful if at this point it is possible to predict even a fraction of the implications of this incredible event in Middle East history," he writes. "One thing that is abundantly clear: Egypt will never be the same without him."
0942: In Israel's biggest-selling daily, Yediot Aharonot, Eitan Haber described Mr Mubarak as "an angel of peace" for Israel. Last night "the curtain started to fall on the man who was considered a stern dictator in the eyes of his people, who led millions of people to nowhere."
09h40: In Israel, newspaper commentators watched events in Egypt on Thursday with one eye on their own security. Some interpreted Mr Mubarak's speech last night as an effective abdication of power, and write about Egypt this morning as if Mr Mubarak had already stepped down. Others are thankful that Vice-President Omar Suleiman, long seen as a friend of Israel, remains very much centre-stage.
09h29: Despite the vocal anger against Hosni Mubarak, he undoubtedly retains the respect of many Egyptians. One of those, Ahmed K Ashour in Cairo, says: "The protesters are now abusing their rights. President Mubarak has given to all their demands and despite all his mistakes, he still has achievements and deserves an honourable exit from power. We are the winners or losers
URL du live: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire