Egyptian military pledges support to Mubarak

February 11, 2011



Egypt\'s military has announced its support of President Hosni Mubarak\'s decision not to resign, saying Friday that it endorses his plan for a peaceful transfer of power, and for free and fair presidential elections later in the year.



Several hundred angry protesters gathered outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday, demanding that Mubarak step down.



It was not immediately known whether Mubarak was at the palace in the Heliopolis area.



Protesters chanting slogans like \"Go out! Go out! and \"Down, down Hosni Mubarak!\" were separated from the al-Ouruba palace gate by four army tanks and coils of barbed wire. Army troops at the scene Friday did not prevent more protesters from joining the crowd.



The military\'s support is likely to enrage protesters further. Many protesters had hoped the army would have \"a strong reaction\" to Mubarak\'s refusal to step down. They had also called on the army in recent days to intervene against him, a former air force commander and one of its own.



The announcement came soon after the military\'s Supreme Council held an \"important\" meeting Friday morning, which was chaired by Defence Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the state news agency reported.



Late Thursday, Mubarak gave most of his powers to his vice-president but refused to resign or leave the country.



Huge numbers expected at protests

Also Friday morning, thousands streamed into Cairo\'s downtown Tahrir Square and took positions outside key symbols of the hated regime.



Protesters already were massing outside the Cabinet, parliament and the state television headquarters several blocks away from Tahrir Square, the centre of the mass rallies that began on Jan. 25.



Hundreds of demonstrators formed a human barricade around the building that houses state TV and radio and were turning employees away from the building.



Soldiers and tanks were guarding the street that leads to the TV building, which overlooks the Nile, but were not stopping the protesters from pouring in.



Organizers planned rallies at six separate protest locations, in addition to Tahrir Square, which is also called Liberation Square.



\"We are going to camp everywhere to put more pressure on the regime,\" said Abdel-Rahman Samir, an organizer.








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