Mubarak Opponents Face Down Loyalists in Cairo After Gunfire
Egyptian soldiers intervene as anti-government protesters stop an opponent during continuing protests on in Cairo’s central Tahrir square. Photographer: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris, the chairman of Orascom Telecom Holding SAE, discusses unrest in Egypt and his call for the "nullification" of the country's parliament. Sawiris speaks from El Gouna, Egypt, with Deirdre Bolton and Erik Schatzker on Bloomberg Television's "InsideTrack." (Source: Bloomberg)
Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, discusses the situation in Egypt and his view that President Hosni Mubarak should step down. McCain, speaking with Peter Cook in Washington on Bloomberg Television's "InsideTrack," also discusses the budget deficit and his relationship with President Barack Obama. (Source: Bloomberg)
Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Mustafa Alani, director of national security at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai, talks about the prospects for regime change in Egypt and its possible effect on other countries in the region. He speaks with Maryam Nemazee on Bloomberg Television's "Countdown." (Source: Bloomberg)
Opponents of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak faced down a drive by supporters of the 30-year regime to push them out of Tahrir Square after a night of gunfire in central Cairo.
Six people were killed and more than 800 injured in the clashes, the government said, with Al Jazeera television showing footage of bodies being pulled through the street. While debris- strewn Tahrir Square was relatively calm this morning, the Associated Press said the army was taking up positions between supporters.
The political turmoil that has engulfed the Middle East continued to spread today, with thousands of pro- and anti- government protestors gathering in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a. Opposition groups vowed to go ahead with a “Day of Rage” after Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said yesterday he will step down when his term ends in 2013.
European Union leaders called for a “quick and orderly transition” after Mubarak said two days ago he won’t bow to pressure to step down immediately, according to a statement signed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of the other five largest western European countries. It echoed a similar call by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Mubarak loyalists yesterday rode horses and camels into Tahrir Square, the epicenter of anti-government protests since Jan. 25, swinging whips and clubs. The two sides hurled rocks, bottles and concrete chunks, and some pro-government marchers carried machetes. Egyptian soldiers didn’t intervene except to extinguish fires and there were no uniformed police present.
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