Earlier Thursday, many protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo were expecting Mubarak to resign. Instead, he said, "I've decided to transfer power to the Vice President as per the stipulation of the constitution."
In other words, he didn't step down but turned over power to Suleiman, who then said in a speech, "[Mubarak] responded to the demands of the people and the pledges he has made proved his awareness of the danger and gravity of this critical moment Egypt is going through right now."
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Later in the speech Suleiman said, "I call upon the young people - heroes of Egypt - go back to your houses, go back to work. The homeland needs your work. Do not listen to the satellite stations that have no objective but to weaken Egypt and mar its image. Just listen to your consciences."
Much of what happens depends on the choices of Egypt's armed forces. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports "[the military has] decided to stick with Mubarak, which is what they've done since the beginning of this crisis. They have remained loyal to a regime which treated them very well for 30 years."
Martin told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric Thursday that "[t]he Egyptian military is not interested in democratic reform. It's interested in stability. It just doesn't want to pay too high a price for that stability. So it doesn't want to ruin its reputation by using violence against the protesters, and it doesn't want to tear its relationship with the U.S. military, which would cost it about a third of its defense budget. So if the protesters remain out in the streets, the Egyptian military has some very tough choices to make."
Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian and an award-winning columnist and expert on the Middle East, told Couric, "Mubarak wants to tip these peaceful protesters into violence. [Thursday]'s sadistic speech was a provocation. I hope the armed forces recognizes this is the country we are talking about. They can figure out the government and the transition but ensure peaceful demands are met."
In a statement released by the White House, President Obama said, "The Egyptian people have been told that there was a transition of authority, but it is not yet clear that this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient. Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy, and it is the responsibility of the government to speak clearly to the Egyptian people and the world. The Egyptian government must put forward a credible, concrete and unequivocal path toward genuine democracy, and they have not yet seized that opportunity."
Read More... [Source: Breaking News: CBS News]
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