Opposition Ramps Up Pressure on Mubarak

CHARLES LEVINSON, MARGARET COKER SUMMER SAID

Felipe Trueba/European Pressphoto Agency

Egyptian soldiers and civilians in Tahir Square, central Cairo, Monday.

CAIRO—A coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to Cairo's streets Tuesday to ratchet up pressure on President Hosni Mubarak to leave.

American and other world leaders were intensifying calls for an orderly transition to a democratic system as demonstrations against Mr. Mubarak's administration continued into a seventh day.

WSJ's John Bussey and Sudeep Reddy on the political and economic impact of the continued unrest in Egypt, and how it may bring on reforms in Syria. Also, Farnaz Fassihi from Beirut on how the Egyptian violence has inspired opposition forces in Iran.

After another day of protests, President Mubarak struggles to cling to power while Mohamed ElBaradei steps in to lead the opposition. The Wall Street Journal's Margaret Coker reports from Cairo.

The pressure came as state television announced that Mr. Mubarak has sworn in a new cabinet, replacing one dissolved as a concession to the unprecedented antigovernment protests.

In the most significant change, the interior minister—who heads internal security forces—was replaced. A retired police general, Mahmoud Wagdi, was named to replace Habib el-Adly, who is widely despised by protesters for brutality shown by security forces.

Mr. Mubarak has retained his long-serving defense minister, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, and his foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

The coalition of opposition groups, dominated by youth movements but including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, said it wants the march from Cairo's central Tahrir Square to force Mr. Mubarak to step down by Friday.

Spokesmen for several of the groups said their representatives were meeting Monday afternoon to develop a unified strategy for ousting the long-serving Egyptian leader. The committee will also discuss whether Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei will be named as a spokesman for the protesters, they said.

The army had an increased presence in Tahrir Square Monday, and the curfew has been tightened. Heavy traffic jams developed downtown as the army closed major routes, apparently in a new effort to control the crowds.

Protesters began streaming into Tahrir Square in large numbers as a military helicopter circled over the square, swooping low over the crowd gathered there.

Earlier, Egypt's opposition groups lined up behind the moderate Mr. ElBaradei, a prodemocracy advocate and former head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, as their best chance to oust Mr. Mubarak.

Photos: Monday Protests

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A succession of rallies and demonstrations, in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Algeria have been inspired directly by the popular outpouring of anger that toppled Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. See how these uprising progressed.

On Sunday, the nation's military closed ranks with the government leadership but allowed protests to continue raging in the streets.

The moves continued to sharpen the country's clash over whether Mr. Mubarak would resign. Events here present difficult choices for the U.S., which has been attempting to push for both the stability that the military offers and the sweeping political changes demanded by the opposition. There was no indication that the two sides would meet or hold discussions.

State television showed footage of Mr. Mubarak with his newly appointed vice president, former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, meeting Egypt's top army commanders Sunday. The images appeared to be a bid to show that control of the armed forces was still in the hands of Mr. Mubarak and his regime.

Fragmented opposition groups, including the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, put aside sometimes strident differences to unify behind Mr. ElBaradei, who often tangled with U.S. officials when he led the U.N. agency inspecting Iran's nuclear program. His entry in Egyptian politics is more recent. He came to Cairo last week only after the protest movement had gathered steam on its own.

Egypt's opposition groups have had a checkered past, with ideological divides and personal animosities sapping them against the might of the Mubarak regime. For now, their solidarity appears to be holding. Mr. ElBaradei's endorsement by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best-organized opposition force, amounted to a historic display of unity between the country's secular and Islamist opposition forces.

The umbrella organization that organized the protests formed a steering committee on Sunday under Mr. ElBaradei to pressure the regime for more political concessions, according to senior Brotherhood leaders.

Mr. ElBaradei said in televised remarks that he looked forward to working with the military to help establish order and forge Egypt's new political future. In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, he said: "The first step is [Mubarak] has to go…The second step is we have to have a government of national salvation in coordination with the army. The third step is the army has that horrible task of ensuring security." He warned the U.S. that its failure to disavow the current government was causing it to "lose credibility by the day."

Regional Upheaval

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Public acknowledgment of the crucial role the military would play in any transition appeared to be an attempt by Mr. ElBaradei to win over a key pillar of the regime. Since a military-led coup seized power in 1952, the military has wielded considerable power, but in recent decades has kept a relatively low political profile.

The military on Sunday dramatically increased its control over security and political affairs. The army assumed control of the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the country's internal security forces, loathed by many Egyptians for their brutality. Top army officials, including the defense minister, made appearances around the capital Sunday, meeting with troops and shaking hands with people gathered for demonstrations.

Despite the public displays of power, major question marks surrounded the Mubarak regime. It was unclear how unified the top leadership was; how deeply divisions ran within the military hierarchy; and the extent of cooperation between the military and the police force.

Regional Unrest

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Mr. ElBaradei made his first appearance in the city's central Tahrir Square on Sunday evening, where tens of thousands of protesters massed. The Interior Ministry's headquarters just a few blocks away was the site a day earlier of violent clashes between protesters and what appeared to be the last vestiges of internal security forces left on the country's streets. The military appeared to come to the protesters' aid, sending four armored personnel carriers to face down police.

While U.S. officials cautiously distanced themselves from Mr. Mubarak and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for transition to a "real democracy," the Egyptian military still came in for praise. "They are acting professionally," said Capt. John Kirby, a spokesman for Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "They are supporting the institutions of government and that is the proper role of the military."

The military has enjoyed broad respect among Egyptians, and appears to have gone to great lengths to avoid antagonizing citizens since deploying in the streets. But it showed no clear signs of reaching out to the opposition leadership. Military factories control significant chunks of the nation's economy, giving its leaders a vested interest in controlling the pace and extent of any political reforms.

Egypt's armed forces are the 12th largest in the world, according to the International Institute for Security Studies, and receive $1.3 billion in annual U.S. aid. One dramatic display of military might Sunday afternoon came when two F-16 jets flew over the Nile and the center of the capital.

Still, signs of disorder—including widespread outbreaks of looting and reports of mass prison breaks from at least five different detention facilities since Friday—threaten to erode the military's standing if it doesn't impose order. The army has yet to take firm control of the streets in the absence of the police, leaving many Egyptians worried and wondering why.

In an interview with WSJ's John Bussey, former Ambassador to Egypt Edward Walker discusses the demonstrations in Egypt and what new form of leadership could emerge from the protest movement.

Security issues led the U.S. State department to organize emergency charters to help U.S. citizens who want to evacuate, beginning Monday. Sketchy reports have said more than 100 people have been killed during protests since Friday.

Throughout the capital, looting was a growing problem. As night fell Sunday, Cairo residents, armed with steel pipes and two-by-fours, organized neighborhood watch groups to fend off roving bands.

Many opposition leaders and analysts accused the military of allowing the chaos as part of a larger strategy to discredit popular protests.

Others believe that the military is incapable of restoring order or unwilling to jeopardize its popular standing by taking on the potentially unpopular role of a police force. State television announced that regular police forces would return to the streets Monday, but wouldn't deploy in the city's central Tahrir Square, apparently to avoid friction with protesters.

THE LIBERTARIAN

Monday, January 31, 2011

Opposition Ramps Up Pressure on Mubarak

Opposition Ramps Up Pressure on Mubarak