Mubarak tells ABC his resignation will bring chaos to Egypt

[News_Editor]

Mubarak tells ABC his resignation will bring chaos to Egypt

2011-02-04 05:03:55 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAIRO (BNO NEWS) -- Egypt's President Hosny Mubarak would like to leave office now but worries that the country would sink into chaos, he told ABC News on Thursday.

"If I resign today there will be chaos,†Mubarak said in a 30-minute interview with ABC correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

He told Amanpour that he's fed up and would like to leave now, but if he did the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned political party, would take over. The president is troubled by the violence in Tahrir Square, and blamed the political party for it, according to a summary of the interview on the ABC News website.

At least eight people have died and hundreds were injured in clashes between Egypt's anti-government protesters and supporters of Mubarak in Tahrir Square.

"I was very unhappy about yesterday. I do not want to see Egyptians fighting each other," the president said.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama urged an immediate and orderly transition of government. Mubarak wavered when asked if he felt the U.S. had betrayed him.

"You don't understand the Egyptian culture and what would happen if I step down now,†he said he told Obama.

Mubarak, who's been in power for 30 years, also said on Tuesday that he will not run for another term in the next elections but will remain at the helm of the African nation until September when his current term ends.

Egypt plunged into chaos last week when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Cairo and other major cities to demand the resignation of Mubarak. Some of them clashed with security forces, killing at least 150 people and injuring more than 4,000 others.

Mubarak remains in the presidential palace with his family, heavily guarded by armed troops, tanks and barbed wire.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-02-04

[Hawaiian]

Does Hosni Mubarak really believe this? Then why appoint a vice president? Mubarak had a chance to prevent all of this from happening and underestimated the unrest his regime was fomenting. Five days ago I posted, "Too little, too late." The Egyptian people seem to agree. Time for a caretaker government.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Hawaiian

[Ulysses G.]

It is self-serving, but he may very well be right.

[geriatrickid]

Who really knows what the people want? Out of a population of approx. 80million all we have seen at most are perhaps a few hundred thousand protestors. The military aside from 450,000 uniformed personnel employs millions in its enterprises which include agriculture, commercial office plazas, multiple hotels and manufacturing facilities.

I would expect that there are millions upon millions of Egyptians that may support the Mubarek approach. This doesn't make his regime ok, but it is a misjudgement if one assumes that the people of Egypt are in agreement over the protest. Human nature being what it is, I would expect that there is a large portion of the population wants order, even if that means keep Mubarek on for some time.

We'll know in a few hours as my sources advise that the crackdown will come shortly. The US and other foreign governments have been begging/pleading/warning the Egyptian military not to kill civilians. If it does happen, the US will be forced to cut off military aid and I don't think the military machine doesn't want to lose $1billion.

[ExpatOilWorker]

Good news for the oil industry......

[Hawaiian]

Who really knows what the people want? Out of a population of approx. 80million all we have seen at most are perhaps a few hundred thousand protestors. The military aside from 450,000 uniformed personnel employs millions in its enterprises which include agriculture, commercial office plazas, multiple hotels and manufacturing facilities.

I would expect that there are millions upon millions of Egyptians that may support the Mubarek approach. This doesn't make his regime ok, but it is a misjudgement if one assumes that the people of Egypt are in agreement over the protest. Human nature being what it is, I would expect that there is a large portion of the population wants order, even if that means keep Mubarek on for some time.

We'll know in a few hours as my sources advise that the crackdown will come shortly. The US and other foreign governments have been begging/pleading/warning the Egyptian military not to kill civilians. If it does happen, the US will be forced to cut off military aid and I don't think the military machine doesn't want to lose $1billion.

We know what they don't want. A corrupt president who silences his opponents by brutality. A corrupt president who allows his cronies to monopolize certain sectors of the economy and stifle the competition. A corrupt president who

hires goon squads to commit acts of violence against political dissenters. The question should be how far are the Egyptian people willing to go. Seems like several hundred thousand or so are willing to put their lives on the line.

Has your source told Christiane Amanpour not to believe Omar Sulieman when he told her the protesters will be asked to leave and not be forced to leave if they choose to stay. On a second thought, maybe Sulieman is telling the truth. Quite possible the strategy is to surround them and starve them out. Either way, both men should not be trusted.