Revolutie in Egypte #189: Waar een Israëlier is opgepakt.

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An Egyptian investigating judge ordered a former agriculture minister detained for questioning over accusations that he allowed the import of cancer-causing pesticides, the state news agency MENA reported on Sunday.

The agency said Youssef Wali, who served as agriculture minister under former President Hosni Mubarak from 1982 to 2004, was also suspected of squandering LE200 million (US$33.6 million) of state funds by selling a plot of land to businessman Hussein Salem for less than the market price.

MENA said Wali is accused of "bringing in 37 brands of pesticides that were proven to cause cancer". It said the chemicals had been banned from entering the country in 1996, but were allowed entry in 1998 under Wali until 2004.

Wali has denied the charges.

Prosecutors have been investigating business transactions of officials under Mubarak since mass protests forced him to resign on 11 February.

A prosecutor froze Wali's assets in April in connection with the sale of 100,000 feddans of land to Saudi billionaire Prince al-Waleed bin Talal in a deal which Egyptian authorities suspected had also violated the law.

Salem, a close aide to Mubarak, was arrested in Spain last month on an international warrant, suspected of squandering public funds by selling gas to Israel below market prices.

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About a dozen police officers protested in front of the Interior Ministry on Sunday rejecting interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s announcement that officers accused of killing protesters in the 25 January revolution will be dismissed, calling it an illegal decision.

“We demand the respect of the judicial system because it is illegal that the general prosecution rejects a court decision only to calm the people,” said Ahmed Samir of the General Coalition of Police Officers, a group that advocates for police.

“Sharaf’s decision proves his ignorance of the law and his drifting behind anger waves from protesters.”

The officers presented demands to Interior Minister Mansour al-Essawy, who promised to respond as soon as possible, according to Ahmed Rashad, who is responsible for the legal affairs of the coalition.

In a TV address on Saturday, Sharaf said police officers accused of shooting protesters during the 18-day revolution will be fired in response to demands raised by people in nationwide protests on Friday. Many are now taking part in open-ended sit-ins until the demands are met.

The police protesters said they support the 25 January revolution and the punishment of those responsible for killing protesters as long as it legal.

“Whoever is found guilty of killing revolutionaries has to be severely punished," said Rashad, "but any decision taken has to comply with the law.”

“People should show some sympathy with the low-ranking officers who were only obeying orders,” said police protester Mohamed Bassem.

With a sign reading “We want retribution from those who killed police officers," they defended officers who protected police stations and the Interior Ministry against attacks from protesters.

“Snipers were responsible for killing protesters, not police officers,” said an officer from Central Security, the Interior Ministry's crowd control force, who refused to provide his name.

“I was among the forces in Tahrir and I did not carry any live ammunition,” he said.

Shortly after the officers ended their meeting with Essawy, the minister stated that he will not implement any decision regarding the officers accused of killing protesters except according to the law, adding that Sharaf doesn’t have the jurisdiction to make any decision about these policemen.

According to official reports 846 died and more than 6000 were injured during the 18-day uprising that forced former President Hosni Mubarak to resign, while local rights groups estimate the number of people killed at about 1500.

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Op maandag 11 juli 2011 12:20 schreef rakotto het volgende:

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[..]

Sympatie my ass.

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At about four in the morning on Monday, ‘security guards’ who maintain and protect Tahrir Square’s checkpoints caught a thief who had stolen someone’s laptop amongst other items. Earlier a drug dealer was also captured, drawing protesters' attention as he was marched off in the direction of the Mogamma. Since the citizen arrests took place, discussions among various groups of protesters have been ongoing as they grapple with possible ways of dealing with these criminal suspects.

Some argued that handing these individuals over to the military would be hypocritical, since the revolutionary forces are unanimous in their opposition of military trials for civilians, while others spoke of the futility of turning them over to the police who would inevitably release them back onto the streets.

The head of the popular committee that has been organising the square’s security spoke of having confiscated about 2,000 weapons and arresting tens of suspect individuals for thievery and smuggling weapons and drugs into Tahrir. He added that arrested individuals were photographed, providing an easy way of discovering any repeat offenders. The sit-in's security chief stressed that there had been several cases of suspects handed over to the interior ministry only to be released and redirected towards the Tahrir sit-in.

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As protesters at both Tahrir Square and in Suez prepare for escalation in the upcoming two days, the government is in a race against time to finalize decisions and decrees that will satisfy the public and meet protester demands.

The protesters at Tahrir Square are calling for a million man protest and general strike on Tuesday. Today there will be a rally heading from the working class Boulaq el Dakrour district in Giza to Tahrir Square. There will also be a rally from the State Council court building, led by workers of privatized companies, which will head to the square later this afternoon.

These are the first among many marches planned by the protesters and the popular committees to defend the revolution aimed at gaining support for the sit-in and convincing more people to join.

According to Ahmed Ezzat, the spokesman of the popular committees, the group and the protesters agreed that the protests should start from the areas of the people who would benefit most from fulfilled revolutionary demands.

Protests and sit-ins are still on in Suez especially after clashes between the protesters and the military police at Ain Sokhna.

For the first time, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf promised "massive" changes and reforms with a timeline yesterday. According to Sharaf’s promise to the revolutionary youth who met with him on Sunday, not less than 1,400 police officers, including police generals and majors, will be laid off by 15 July, including those accused of shooting the protesters. A reshuffle will include not less one third of the cabinet by 17 July and radical changes will be made in the state owned media. Whether in radio, television or newspapers, these changes will be applied and new leaderships for major, state owned media organizations will be appointed by 30 July.

The PM also promised that a new governor’s reshuffle will be announced by the end of July.

Sharaf promised the protesters’ delegation that if he fails to achieve this timeline he will resign from his position.

PM Sharaf is currently a holding a meeting with his cabinet.

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Op maandag 11 juli 2011 19:43 schreef Drifter__ het volgende:
Ben benieuwd naar de toespraak van Sharaf straks/vanavond.

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Egypt's latest crisis puts pressure on leadership

Associated Press= CAIRO (AP) — The head of Egypt's security forces has defied orders by the prime minister to fire police officers accused of killing protesters during the nation's popular uprising, in a dispute illustrating the strains of a government facing escalating public pressure to bring former regime figures to justice.

Egyptians have again taken to the streets, furious over the failure to cleanse the tainted police and over a leadership they complain is botching an already chaotic transition to democracy. Protesters have camped out in main squares in Cairo, Suez and other cities since Friday, demanding the resignation of the interior minister who heads the police, the purging of former regime loyalists from the civil service and greater action to tackle economic woes.

The issue of justice for protesters slain during the 18-day uprising that led to Hosni Mubarak's Feb. 11 is the most explosive amid rising frustration with the handling of the political transition by the military generals who now lead the country.

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, who heads a caretaker civilian government, has found himself caught in the middle.

Over the weekend, seeking to calm street demonstrations, he called for Interior Minister Mansour el-Issawi to fire 400 police officers accused of killing protesters. Nearly 900 people were killed during the uprising.

But el-Issawi balked, saying summarily firing them would be illegal.

The dispute has put Sharaf's credibility on the line. He was brought into office by the military to the acclaim of activists who led the anti-Mubarak uprising who saw him as a pro-reform figure. Taking his post, Sharaf proclaimed that his legitimacy came from the "revolution." But the dispute underlined the growing complaints among protesters that Sharaf is took weak to carry out reforms, with many accusing the military and former regime figures in the powerful security forces of preventing him from action.

Sharaf said on his official Facebook page that he would make an important announcement later Monday, prompting speculation that he would reshuffle his Cabinet. However, he later announced that the changes would be made within a week. He did not specify whether el-Issawi would be among those removed or say what caused the delay.

Fueling the resentment in the streets is a deepening distrust of the ruling generals, whom activists accuse of a lack of transparency in directing the transition to democracy and of showing too much deference to Mubarak, allowing the 83-year-old former leader to remain in hospital at a Red Sea resort when he is under arrest and scheduled to stand trial next month.

The public is also growing impatient with high crime rates, unemployment and economic woes worsened by the post-revolution turmoil. The crisis has eaten into the country's already battered investment climate, with the benchmark stock index dropping almost 3 percent on Monday on concerns of mounting unrest.

The release on bail last week of seven police officers on trial for killing protesters in Suez sparked days of rioting in the canal city 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Cairo.

"We have all the evidence that prove police officers killed the protesters," said Ali el-Genadi, father of one of the slain protesters in Suez. "We are not against the law, but we are against the judges who implement the law."

Cleansing of the police force and the dismissal of el-Issawi top the list of demands made by tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets in Cairo and a string of other cities Friday in some of the largest demonstrations since Mubarak's ouster. A hard core of protesters have camped out in Cairo's central Tahrir Square since, blocking the major traffic intersection, vowing to stay until their demands are met. Larger protests have also been called for Tuesday.

Police officers contend their force is being unfairly maligned.

Ahmed Ragab, a spokesman for an association of police officers, said Sharaf's order for the officers' dismissal violated the law and unjustly equated officers who defended police stations against attacks by armed mobs during the uprising and snipers who shot protesters dead in cold blood from rooftops.

"We too demand retribution for the martyrs of the revolution," said Ragab, who says his association has the support of some 15,000 police officers, or about half of all the officer corps in the force. "Why is that no one is talking about the snipers?"

Justice for those killed during the protests is tangled into the deeper issue of reforming a police force that was widely despised during Mubarak's rule for human rights abuses and corruption. Police disappeared from the streets three days into the uprising in January following deadly clashes with protesters in Cairo and elsewhere in the country. That prompted a wave of looting, arson, jail breakouts and attacks on police stations around the nation.

Five months later, the police have yet to return, raising accusations that they are intentionally allowing chaos in retaliation for the revolution and in hopes of retaining their past power. Official figures show armed robberies surging to 208 in May from 36 in January and 145 murders in May compared to 44 in January. Media frequently tell of Egyptians trying to report car thefts and other crimes to police, only to be told at police stations to handle it themselves.

"Negligence by the police is a harrowing conspiracy," prominent activist and best-selling novelist Alaa al-Aswany wrote recently in Cairo's al-Masry al-Youm daily. "Policemen are standing by to watch and gloat."

Interior Minister el-Issawi has taken a more low-key approach to change. He is looking into retiring more than two dozen top police commanders, some of whom have been associated with the brutal suppression of the protests in January and February, according to Egypt's official Middle East News Agency.

It said those to be pensioned off include seven of el-Issawi's assistants and several current and former provincial security chiefs.

He has created offices for rights groups at the Interior Ministry to monitor police operations and has been urging police personnel to do away with the culture of abuse.

"If you respect citizens, they will respect you back," he told a recent graduation ceremony of policemen. "We get our wages from the taxes they pay."

The steps — which activists dismiss as too timid — so far have done little to soothe popular discontent with the police.

But some acknowledge that instilling a respect for human rights cannot be done quickly.

"The officer who is used to operate unchallenged, abusing motorists at police checkpoints, is not going to be a nice guy just like that," said Negad Borai, a prominent lawyer and rights activist. "It's an entrenched police culture that will take time to change."

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Facing public anger, Egypt PM to reshuffle Cabinet

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's prime minister says he will reshuffle his Cabinet within a week, but doesn't say which ministers he'll replace.

Monday's announcement by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf comes amid rising public anger over the slow pace of reform since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in February.

Sharaf also called for swift trials of members of the security forces suspected in the killings of nearly 900 Egyptians during the anti-Mubarak uprising.

A Cabinet reshuffle would be Egypt's third since Mubarak's ouster. The country is being led by interim rulers who are to pave the way for fall elections.

Since the weekend, protest tent camps have sprung up in key Egypt cities, with demonstrators saying they won't leave until they see radical reforms.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's prime minister says he will reshuffle his Cabinet within a week, but doesn't say which ministers he'll replace.

Monday's announcement by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf comes amid rising public anger over the slow pace of reform since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in February.

Sharaf also called for swift trials of members of the security forces suspected in the killings of nearly 900 Egyptians during the anti-Mubarak uprising.

A Cabinet reshuffle would be Egypt's fourth since Mubarak's ouster. The country is being led by interim rulers who are to pave the way for fall elections.

Since the weekend, protest tent camps have sprung up in key Egypt cities, with demonstrators saying they won't leave until they see radical reforms.

(This version CORRECTS APNewsNow. Corrects that it would be Egypt's third, not fourth Cabinet reshuffle since Mubarak's ouster)

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Op dinsdag 12 juli 2011 13:18 schreef Drifter__ het volgende:
Statement van het leger vandaag:

بيان المجلس العسكري بشأن المستجدات الراهنة - 12 يوليو 2011

Krijg trillende benen van deze man.....

خطاب حسني مبارك 2 - كامل خطاب حسني مبارك 2 - كامل

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Op dinsdag 12 juli 2011 13:18 schreef Drifter__ het volgende:
Statement van het leger vandaag:

بيان المجلس العسكري بشأن المستجدات الراهنة - 12 يوليو 2011

Krijg trillende benen van deze man.....

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Op dinsdag 12 juli 2011 14:34 schreef Drifter__ het volgende:
Ruw samengevat:
Begint met standaard verhaaltje dat het leger achter de revolutie staat. Dat het leger er alles aan doet om de eisen van het volk in te willigen. Het leger zal de macht pas overdragen na de presidentsverkiezingen.

Het leger respecteert het recht op vrijheid van meningsuiting, demonstraties en stakingen. Deze mogen niet tegenstrijdig met de wet zijn. En ook niet met als doel het land lam te leggen. Wordt hier geen gehoor aan gegeven, dan zullen er strenge maatregelen genomen worden.

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'Nog steeds geen persvrijheid in Egypte'

(Novum/AP) - CAÏRO - Vijf maanden na de val van president Hosni Mubarak is er nog altijd geen persvrijheid in Egypte. De militaire regering heeft zelfs het ministerie van informatie weer nieuw leven ingeblazen. Het ministerie geldt als een van de symbolen van Mubaraks dictatoriale regime.

"Het ministerie heeft een verleden als verlengstuk van het vroegere regime en is om die reden volstrekt ongeschikt om de mediasector te hervormen", zegt het Comité ter Bescherming van Journalisten (CPJ) in een verklaring.

Het ministerie van informatie was een gehaat instituut ten tijde van Mubarak. Het werd gezien als diens propagandamachine. Na Mubaraks val op 11 februari werd het ministerie ontmanteld. Vorige week werd het echter door het huidige militaire bestuur nieuw leven ingeblazen en werd een nieuwe minister van informatie benoemd.

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Aanslag op gasdistributiestation Sinaï
(Novum/AP) - EL-ARISH - In de Sinaï-woestijn is dinsdagochtend een aanslag gepleegd op een gasdistributiestation. Het station hoort bij de pijpleiding waardoor aardgas van Egypte naar Israël en Jordanië wordt gepompt. Vorige week was de leiding ook het doelwit van een aanslag.


Het station stond in het stadje El-Arish, vijftig kilometer van de grens met Israël. Zeker vier gewapende mannen dwongen de bewakers te vertrekken en bliezen het station vervolgens op. Er deden zich geen persoonlijke ongelukken voor.

De gasleiding is vaker het doelwit van sabotage. Sinds de val van de Egyptische president Hosni Mubarak, in februari van dit jaar, is er nu vier keer een aanslag op de pijpleiding gepleegd. Tot dusverre zijn deze aanslagen niet opgeëist. In het verleden hebben in de Sinaï wonende bedoeïenen de leiding aangevallen, maar ook islamisten die gekant zijn tegen het vredesverdrag met Israël worden gezien als verdachten.

De Israëlische minister van infrastructuur Uzi Landau zei dat de aanslagen een bedreiging beginnen te vormen voor de Egyptisch-Israëlische betrekkingen. "Dit was een anker, vanuit economische oogpunt misschien wel het belangrijkste element van onze vredesovereenkomst met Egypte, en het wordt langzaam, langzaam uitgehold", zei Landau.

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Verkiezingen Egypte uitgesteld, bijna 600 ontslagen bij politie

De militaire leiders van Egypte, de Opperste Raad der Strijdkrachten, hebben vandaag de parlementsverkiezingen uitgesteld. Deze zouden in september plaatsvinden, maar zijn nu met een maand of twee maanden uitgesteld. Dat meldde de Egyptische staatspersbureau.

Het uitstel van de verkiezingen is een tegemoetkoming aan een deel van de protestbeweging in het land dat had geëist dat de verkiezingen worden uitgesteld. Door het uitstel hebben nieuw gevormde politieke partijen meer tijd om zich voor te bereiden om zo beter de strijd te kunnen aangaan met partijen als de Moslimbroederschap.

Bijna zeshonderd hooggeplaatste politiemensen ontslagen

De Raad kondigde dinsdag al aan dat er een aantal regels wordt opgesteld voor het kiezen van de honderd parlementsleden die later dit jaar gaan werken aan een nieuwe grondwet. Met de nieuwe regels moet worden voorkomen dat bepaalde partijen hun stempel op het parlement en daarmee op de grondwet drukken.

In een ander gebaar naar de betogers heeft het Egyptische ministerie van binnenlandse zaken vandaag bijna zeshonderd hooggeplaatste politiemensen de laan uitgestuurd. Dat meldde de Egyptische staatstelevisie. De ontslagen zijn onderdeel van een zuivering van de impopulaire politiemacht.

Zesde dag van protesten op Tahrir-plein

De actievoerders willen dat de politiemacht wordt gezuiverd van aanhangers van Mubarak en agenten die betrokken waren bij de dood van bijna negenhonderd demonstranten. Volgens de staatstelevisie worden 37 politiemensen aangeklaagd voor de moord op betogers. In totaal krijgen 587 politiemensen hun ontslag, van wie 505 generaal-majoors en 82 brigadiers.

Vijf maanden na de revolutie, die een eind maakte aan het regime van president Hosni Mubarak, zijn de betogers terug op het Tahrirplein. Ze zijn gefrustreerd dat de revolutie is stilgevallen. De protestbeweging, die geen echte leiders kent en onderling verdeeld is, heeft nog een aantal eisen, waaronder een snelle berechting van leden van het regime van Mubarak en politieagenten.

Veel betogers vrezen dat het doorvoeren van hervormingen stil is komen te liggen. Ze hebben kritiek op de Opperste Raad voor de Strijdkrachten, die het land bestuurt. “De raad heeft bewezen dat hij samenwerkt met Mubarak”, aldus een van de betogers. “We willen een civiele raad, die is gekozen door de revolutionairen op het plein.”

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Op woensdag 13 juli 2011 20:18 schreef Drifter__ het volgende:

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Nou we kunnen niet ontkennen dat dat goed klinkt.
Laten we hopen dat die agenten een beetje zelfrespect hebben en geen onrust zullen veroorzaken.

Zaterdag deel 2 van de reshuffle.

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Ibrahim al-Sayyad, chief news room editor of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, said Thursday that state television will broadcast the trials of deposed President Hosni Mubarak and other symbols from his regime beginning next week, in accordance with established rules.

“We are prepared to cover Mubarak’s trial on 3 August, after the military council announced that it would be public,” Sayyad said. “And we will provide both live and recorded coverage.”

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Suez protesters who had been on a hunger strike in front of the governorate’s building were attacked by police in the early hours at the town’s police station on Tuesday, witnesses told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

The incident began when one of the protesters fainted at the sit-in and was taken to Suez General Hospital. An officer from the hospital’s police office had come to write a report on what had happened to the protester. According to one of the protesters, Mohamed al-Temsah, the officer verbally insulted the group and said that the unconscious protester would not be treated.

A verbal altercation ensued and Temsah contacted the governor of Suez, who told the group to come to the governorate building. There, he asked them to find out the name of the policeman. As the protesters walked back to the hospital to inquire as to the officer’s name, they found themselves beign followed by two military policemen and a man claiming to be a military officer, but later turned out to be a policeman as well. The three approached the group and told them that the officer at the hospital was upset and that they should try and make amends with him.

Then, according to Temsah, seven police officers showed up and took the group to the Suez police station, demanding recompense for their colleague.

“We were attacked in front of the police station by policemen and plainclothes officers. We were then pushed inside the station, where 30 thugs were waiting and proceeded to beat us. The military was stationed outside the station and did not intervene,” he said.

Temsah managed to flee and tried to call the governor, but was caught and had his phone and watch seized. Others also had their phones taken and some were burnt with cigarettes.

“They lined us up against the wall and one pulled out his pistol and cocked it. They threatened to kill us and that they would sexually assault us,” he remembered.

They were then locked up inside one of the cells and continued to be insulted, with policemen telling them, “You residents of Suez were talking about Mubarak and the police; we’ll show you.”

The protesters were eventually let out after the governor called the chief of the station. But even then they emerged with great difficulty, as those present did not want them to leave.

“It’s the lower-ranking policemen who cause all the trouble and commit these acts of violence,” Temsah said. “I will file lawsuits against them and I have witnesses to testify on my behalf about what happened.”

Al-Arbaeen Square is the main site of the sit-in in Suez, which is running in tandem with protests in Cairo and other cities and governorates. However, demonstrations are also taking place outside the governorate building and near the Suez Canal. The protests have called for the fulfillment of the revolution’s demands that the demonstrators feel have not yet been met.

The attack is especially sensitive as it took place in Suez, where police officers on trial for killing protesters were recently released on bail, leading to heightened protests in the city and further clashes with the police.

Abdel Rahman Mahfouz, a member of the Popular Committee for the Defense of the Revolution in Suez, told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Wednesday, “Until the stated demands are met, the sit-in will continue.”

This statement was echoed by his colleague Essam al-Masry, who said, “Nothing has been achieved up until now and we don’t know how those police officers were released.”

The Arbaeen Square sit-in took a new turn on Wednesday, when ambulance workers from Suez joined the sit-in over demands for better treatment and pay. A number of medics, assistant-medics and ambulance drivers congregated at the square, decrying the disparity in pay between them and that many of them had yet to be hired on permanent contracts.

The town had just endured a running gunfight the night before, unrelated to the sit-in but close to the square, as two families from the area clashed with street vendors in a battle that lasted through the night. Two people were allegedly killed in the clashes.

Protesters are also holding a sit-in in a garden near the canal, though they have made assurances that there will be no attempt to disrupt the ships passing through. The military maintains a major presence at the canal, and the garden where the protesters are is cordoned with barbed wire. In a gazebo in the garden, protesters have set up a memorial for the 25 January martyrs from Suez.

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Egyptische ministers stappen op

Premier Essam Sharaf van Egypte heeft het ontslag geaccepteerd van minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Mohammed el-Orabi en van diens collega van Handel en Industrie, Samir el-Sayyed. Dat is vandaag in Caïro meegedeeld.

Sharaf onderhandelt over een herschikking van het kabinet, die hij vorige week aankondigde. Betogers demonstreren maanden na het vertrek van oud-president Hosni Mubarak nog altijd tegen de regering. Ze vinden dat de beloofde hervormingen niet snel genoeg gaan.

Sharaf maakt naar verwachting vannmiddag nog de namen van het nieuwe kabinet bekend.

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Hosni Mubarak ligt in coma, zegt zijn advocaat

De voormalige Egyptische president Hosni Mubarak heeft een beroerte gehad en ligt in coma. Dat zegt zijn advocaat tegenover persbureau Reuters.

In februari vertrok de 83-jarige Mubarak als Egyptische president na aanhoudende protesten van zijn volk. Hij werd naderhand opgenomen in een ziekenhuis in Sharm el-Sheikh. Zijn advocaat liet vandaag weten dat hij erover geïnformeerd was dat de gezondheid van Mubarak “plotseling erg verslechterd is en dat hij nu in coma ligt”. Hij zou een beroerte hebben gehad.

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Egyptian military head praises activist youth

Associated Press= CAIRO (AP) — The head of Egypt's ruling military council on Saturday praised the youth who led the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in an apparent effort to diffuse growing tensions between activists and the army.

Many protesters have grown distrustful of the military rulers who assumed control of the country after Mubarak was forced to step down more than five months ago. Critics accuse the generals of dragging their feet in bringing former regime officials to trial and purging the government of Mubarak loyalists as well as trying civilians in military courts.

The standoff came to a head late Friday in Cairo when a large group of protesters marched toward the headquarters of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to denounce what the purported beatings of demonstrators by military forces during another rally in the city of Alexandria.

The army quickly issued a statement denying the use of violence against protesters and accusing activists of trying to divide the country. "The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces urges the public to exercise caution and not to be drawn into this suspicious plot that aims to undermine Egypt's stability," the statement said in unusually strong language.

The head of the council, Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, tried to soften the tone in an address later Saturday on state TV. He called the youth activists "a great product of Egyptian soil, who belong to an ancient people, adopted noble principles, confirmed their nationalistic sense and realized their responsibility as Egypt's youth to progress and make history."

He also appealed for national unity.

"Holding together our internal front and keeping it strong is a national necessity, so we can face the challenges and difficulties in the nation's path, to realize where we are going and how to move toward a safe and secure future," Tantawi said.

His remarks, which were made during a speech commemorating the anniversary of the 1952 military coup that toppled Egypt's monarchy, came hours ahead of another planned rally outside the council's headquarters to demand speedier trials for ex-regime officials, the end of military trials for civilians, the resignation of the state prosecutor and a set date for the transition to civilian rule.

Thousands marched from Tahrir Square toward the ministry of Defense, across town, chanting against the council's delay in implementing their demands.

The military council has promised to hand over power to an elected civilian government within six months. Parliamentary elections are now set for October or November, followed by presidential elections, likely next year.

Activists frustrated with the slow pace of change have continued to protest, forcing a change to the interim government and a change in the leadership of the police force. A few hundred have been camped out in Tahrir Square since earlier this month to pressure the military to bring those accused of killing the protesters during the 18-day uprising to trial.

So far, only one low-ranking policeman has been charged in absentia for killing protesters. Nearly 900 were killed in the early days of the uprising.

In an unsually strongly worded statement released on its Facebook page, the council statement accused activists of seeking to drive a wedge between the people and the military. It singled out the April 6 movement, one of the largest groups behind the protests that forced Mubarak to step down on Feb. 11.

Activists quickly rebuffed the statement with one of their own, saying the army rejects all criticism of how it is ruling the country.

Mohammed Adel, an April 6 spokesman, said "defaming" the group is reminiscent of the language used by the previous regime against its opponents. "It is the army that is driving a wedge between it and the people by accusing others of treason," he said.

Protesters in Alexandria insisted the military used force against them at Friday's demonstration.

Nour al-Zorba, a protester, said they were first attacked by men wielding knives. Protesters chased those attackers away, but then soldiers began chasing them, detaining some and beating others to the ground, he said.

A few protesters managed to enter the military headquarters and tried to speak to the site's commander.

One woman, Amira Nabil, who went inside the headquarters said she was beaten and dragged by her feet, and punched in the stomach.

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Gewonden door onlusten Egypte

Meer dan 140 mensen zijn gewond geraakt toen zaterdag een grote demonstratie in de Egyptische hoofdstad Caïro ontaardde in massale vechtpartijen. Dat hebben ooggetuigen en bronnen bij de hulpdiensten gemeld.

De meeste gewonden vielen toen de betogers die een voortvarender aanpak van het democratiseringsproces eisen, door tegendemonstranten werden bekogeld met stenen en brandbommen. Leger en politie zetten traangas in en losten waarschuwingsschoten om de onlusten te bedwingen.

In Egypte kwam in februari na bijna dertig jaar een einde aan het regime van Hosni Mubarak. De autoritaire president trad af na wekenlange straatprotesten. Sindsdien bestuurt een raad van hoge militairen onder leiding van veldmaarschalk Hussein Tantawi het Noord-Afrikaanse land.

De militaire machthebbers hebben beloofd nog dit jaar vrije verkiezingen te houden en het pad te effenen voor een overgang naar een democratischer bestel. Veel mensen die begin dit jaar op de barricades stonden voor meer democratische hervormingen, zijn echter teleurgesteld over het tempo waarin de gewenste veranderingen gestalte krijgen.

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Egypt: too big for its boots

It is time to recognise that the Egyptian army's military, political and social role needs to be reduced, not expanded

The Egyptian army has hardly fired a shot in anger since the last of the country's four wars with Israel in 1973. Apart from a marginal role in the coalition which pushed Saddam's troops out of Kuwait in 1991, it has not done anything for a generation which could be called military in any strict sense of the word. It might have played a part, possibly even a leading part, in the intervention in Libya, but, perhaps wisely, the generals in Cairo decided that trying to manage one revolution was enough.

Yet the armed forces account for a quarter of Egyptian government expenditure, run industries and farms and hotels, and are the beneficiaries of huge amounts of American aid. Now that the country is on the way to democratic rule, there would seem to be a powerful case for cutting the army's numbers, costs, perquisites, and privileges. But reports from Cairo suggest that some of the generals are angling for constitutional provisions that will enshrine the military's authority in society, protect its budget, and assign it a formal right of intervention in political affairs. This is a position akin to that which the Turkish armed forces arrogated to themselves in the past and from which both civilian and military institutions in that country are still trying to painfully extricate themselves today.

The army did of course perform the signal service of easing Hosni Mubarak from power. That was an intervention of the first importance, and might be regarded as earning it the right to intervene again in the future. Those in Egypt who fear an Islamist takeover may favour the kind of military protection of the secular state on which the Turkish army prided itself. Yet the Egyptian armed forces acted without any specific constitutional mandate in the spring. Why should they require one now to deal with some notional threat in the future? The problem with any special arrangements for the armed forces is that they would tend to reinforce the unnatural prominence of the officer corps in a country which has been at peace for decades. Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak all in turn trimmed the military's direct political role, but the army's share of national resources and its economic holdings nevertheless grew and grew.

These included the building up of an arms industry, and a range of other enterprises which have a mixed record but which would not in a European country be regarded as in the military ambit at all. They also include infrastructure projects which have helped development, and literacy and vocational programmes for conscripts which have had a positive effect. But the time has surely come to recognise that the Egyptian army's military, political and social role needs to be reduced, not expanded.

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Op maandag 25 juli 2011 12:33 schreef rubje het volgende:
Dus samengevat kunnen wij ervan uitgaan dat de rust voorlopig in Egypte niet zal wederkeren?
Dat is dan lekker voor potentiele investeerders en andere zakelijke beslommeringen die voor rust en stabiliteit op economisch gebied moeten zorgen....

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29 July protests finally named 'The Popular Will and Unity Friday'

After weeks of disagreement, no less than 26 parties, movements and groups, including Islamists, leftists and liberals, have reached a set of demands for the upcoming Friday July 29th protests, which will be named 'The Popular Will and Unity Friday'. The agreement was reached yesterday after negotiations between the different political groups, parties and movements. The negotiations were held at Al Shorouk newspaper's Cairo offices with the help of publisher Ibrahim El-Moallam and Rabab El-Mahdy, who both spoke today in a press conference this afternoon about the demands of the political powers participating in the protest.

The demands of the protesters included: Ending military trials for civilians, the re-trial of those prosecuted in military trials, speeding up the trials of protester killers, assigning exclusive courts to ensure quick and just trials of former regime icons, a minimum and maximum limit for wages and a speedy implementation of the treachery act.

All demands that had caused rifts among the political forces, such as the constitution or the elections first debate and the supra-constitutional principles, were sidelined completely.

Next Friday's protests will feature a committee representing all the parties, movements and groups participating in the protest. Unlike previous protests, there will be no single podium for a single group; all the podiums will represent all the political movements from liberals and leftists to Islamists. There will be a united coordination between the different groups to secure the square.

In related news, the martyrs’ families at Tahrir square also re-issued a statement they had released last Friday, but it was generally ignored by mainstream media. In the statement, the martyrs’ families make it clear that they will continue their own sit in until their rights are restored. The statement outlined seven demands, including: The arrest of officers accused of killing martyrs in order to prevent them from influencing witnesses (as well as tampering with evidence and blackmailing both the families and witnesses), speedily referring the remaining killing of protesters cases to criminal courts and setting up teams of credible prosecutors to investigate the cases.

The families also demanded that the ministry of interior issue an official statement, to the Egyptian people generally and the martyrs’ families specifically, recognizing the protesters as martyrs not thugs, setting up a permanent committee comprised of the martyrs families, their lawyers and members of the Cabinet and general prosecution to facilitate overcoming the obstacles facing the trials, and to broadcast the trials live on TV without judicial permission. The families also demanded the martyrs be honored, in equal standing with war martyrs, and the dismissal of the minister of interior and the general prosecutor.

The martyrs' families are extremely angry with those claiming that they are using the martyrs for monetary gain, insisting that money is the last thing they are thinking about and that if it were about the money they would have accepted the offers from the accused police officers to drop the lawsuits. One of member of the martyrs’ families, Mr. Magdy, spoke at the press conference about how he and his family were being blackmailed by the police officer that killed his brother.

Mr. Magdy spoke about how ministry of interior and ministry of justice officials made it clear to his family that they cannot suspend the officers accused of killing protesters, and how they ought to seek their own justice, if the judiciary, which they criticized and called corrupt, was unable to help them.

There are no less than 500 families participating in the current sit in at Tahrir square, taking shifts. They have no intention of ending their sit in any time soon.

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Op donderdag 28 juli 2011 18:28 schreef Drifter__ het volgende:
Merk ook dat veel mensen de demonstranten op het plein zat zijn.
Sta elke dag in de file door al die omleidingen......

Hopelijk verloopt morgen rustig en zonder problemen.

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An army officer and two civilians were shot dead in clashes between an armed gang and Egyptian army and police in the north Sinai town of Arish on Friday, security sources said.

About a hundred armed men rode through Arish on motorcycles and vehicles waving flags with Islamic slogans and firing in the air, terrifying the local population, Sinai security sources said.

The gang then attacked a police station, engaging in a shootout with Egyptian police and army that left one army officer dead. A 70-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy who were caught up in the shooting died from bullet wounds.

Another army officer and 11 security guards were wounded in the attack and taken to an army hospital for treatment, MENA state news agency.

Before reaching the police station, the attackers had camped at a main square in the city, raising black flags. They destroyed a statue of former President Anwar al-Sadat and fired shots in the air. A 12-year-old boy was wounded because of the firing.

Following the police station attack, the perpetrators continued to roam the city, firing at street lights in a quest to darken the area, according to witnesses.

A security source told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the military is sending special forces to secure the area.

The identity of the attackers was not known.

Witnesses said the attackers, many of whom wore masks, did not seem to be from the area as they lost their way several times before reaching the police station.