Egyptian VP Tell Protesters To Go Home Ahead Of Mass Protests Scheduled For Friday

The new vice-president of Egypt Thursday told demonstrators their demands have been met and they should end their sit-in. 

Omar Suleiman, former head of Egyptian state security agencies made the statement in an interview on Egyptian State television Thursday evening on a day when reports of attacks on protesters and journalists poured in.

In his interview, Suleiman went on to blame foreign media organizations for inciting unrest and exaggerating the size of the protests. Reporters for virtually every news organization covering the situation from Cairo this week have been subject to acts of intimidation by pro Mubarak forces, ranging from serious physical attacks to having equipment confiscated. 

Some observers fear today’s crackdown on the press might indicate the government’s intention to intensify attacks against protesters in Tahrir Square tomorrow.

Press freedom groups like the Committee To Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders have already released statements denouncing what they call ” a systematic and concerted effort” to silence coverage of the clashes between protesters and pro-Mubarak’s security forces. Paris based Reporters Without Borders has been able to confirm that at least 26 journalists have so far been assaulted, while 19 others were detained by security forces and three others still reported missing. The organization also says it has recorded at least four instances in which media organizations had their equipment confiscated.

Unrest In Egypt Will Fundamentally Affect American Interest In Region, Say Experts

 The Obama administration is scrambling to find a way to address the current protests and civil unrest in Egypt without compromising its long standing ties with the government in Cairo, says Steven Cook Middle East Policy expert for the Council On Foreign Relations (CFR). 

 Cook says the Obama administration’s dual track policy towards Egypt, which consists of privately pressuring Egyptian President Mubarak to back reform while publicly supporting his government, is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile given the violence and unrest in the streets.

 “The US needs to signal that ultimately, our values have to kick in. Egyptians have to understand that we are not going to allow them to do just about anything to regain control.” said Cook. 

 Robert Danin, Middle East and African Studies fellow for the Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation, says the Obama administration’s statements on Egypt have so far been quite vague and failed to offer any specifics details.

 ” I do not think the administration has handled it as well as it should have. ” said Danin. “My hope is that when President Obama finally does speak, he doesn’t use the word stability and focuses more on the need for, whoever is in charge in Egypt, to respect the rights of people who are demanding freedom.”

 Danin believes that in private conversations,  US officials are pressuring Mubarak to make concessions but that the Egyptian president likely thinks  any such action at this time would be too great a sign of weakness.

Danin says one of the first steps Mubarak can take towards reform and calm the protests would be repealing Egypt’s 30 year old Emergency Law, which allows for indiscriminate arrests, limits freedom of assembly and freedom of speech.  

  “Perhaps there is some sort of roadmap that Mubarak could lay out for the future out of this , to show that this could end in a way that would ultimately not result in his son becoming President.” 

Settlement Moratorium A Deal Breaker For Egypt, Palestine

Ambassador Soliman Awaad, spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency, told reporters at a briefing Wednesday that he, along with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, believe that newly launched peace talks between Israel and Palestine will only be successful if Israel ends their settlement expansion.

President Mubarak said in a New York Times Op-Ed that the success of these negotiations is contingent upon whether or not the current moratorium on Israel’s settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is extended. 

“For its part, Israel should make no mistake; settlements and peace are incompatible,” Mubarak said. “A complete halt to Israel’s settlement expansion… is critical if the negotiations are to succeed.”

Awaad reiterated to the press that the moratorium’s extension plays a very pivotal role in bridging the gap between Israel and Palestine.

“This twenty-sixth day is of crucial importance,” Awaad said. “If [the moratorium] is not extended, all bets are off.”

The spokesman said Egypt wants the moratorium extended and would sympathize with Palestine in breaking negotiations if Israel does not comply. If the 10-month expansion moratorium, scheduled to expire on Septermber 26, is not extended, Awaad said negotiations will likely cease and a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine will end once again.

“The expansion of Israeli settlements have led to a collapse of trust on both sides,” Mubarak said. “For the talks to succeed, we must rebuild trust.”

Obama And Egyptian President Discuss Democratic Reform

The prospect of democratic reform in Egypt was reportedly raised during Tuesday's meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

"We have no inhibitions. We don't have any reason to shy away from discussing such issues relating to the democratization process in Egypt," said Mubarak spokesperson Ambassador Soliman Awaad during a press briefing following the talks.

While the Egyptian Ambassador stated that the country was committed to pursuing reform, he argued the validity of the popular interpretation of the shaky state of democracy in Egypt.

"Many people talk about reform as if it is something that can take place over night. Some others ... get their information from biased sources," Awaad stated.

The spokesperson pointed to international criticism raised over the detainment of three bloggers, stating that their arrests were justified for reasons including their use of violence and establishing websites attacking Islam and Christianity, a move that would allegedly fan sectarian flames.

The two presidents also discussed the need for a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"President Mubarak made it very clear to President Obama today that the peace process cannot afford another failure. The suffering and the plight of the Palestinians can not afford further delay," Awaad said.

The ambassador characterized the relationship between the two leaders as "friendly" and "very positive".