The American Betrayal
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Obama’s abandonment of Mubarak shows Israel cannot count on US at times of crisis

The earthquake in Egypt caught us off guard. As was the case before, this time too our intelligence officials did not predict it, yet we are in good company: No Western country, including America, predicted this, just like they did not predict Hamas’ rise in Gaza.

Yet there is one more thing we can learn from the events in Egypt, aside from the fragility of the region we inhabit, and it is something that’s not easy to digest: The Western world’s and mostly America’s treachery. We learned that the way they abandoned President Mubarak and gave him the cold shoulder can happen to us too. Or in other words, we cannot count on the Americans at a time of crisis.

Everyone understands that Mubarak has to go, yet we would expect the American Administration to back him rather than disown him. It’s the decent thing to do at least. For dozens of years, he was the only leader the West could rely on, the dam in the face of Islamization. He should have been treated differently if only in gratitude.

And when America does this to the Egyptian president, what should any other ally think? Perhaps that it’s better to conduct oneself like Iran or Syria, rather than like a moderate Arab state.

There is no doubt that something fundamental about the American Administration has changed. The US conduct in the Middle East attests to inexperience and lack of familiarity with the region. It appears as though the world is being led by a rookie. >>> Sima Kadmon | Friday, February 04, 2011

Ben-Eliezer: Mubarak Slammed US in Phone Call
YNET NEWS: Ousted Egyptian leader slams 'misguided' US quest for Mideast democracy in talk with Labor Knesset member

Hosni Mubarak had harsh words for the United States and what he described as its misguided quest for democracy in the Middle East in a telephone call with Labor Party Knesset Member Binyamin Ben-Eliezer a day before quitting Egypt's president.

Ben-Eliezer said on Israel TV Friday that he came away from the 20-minute conversation on Thursday with the feeling the 82-year-old leader realized "it was the end of the Mubarak era."

"He had very tough things to say about the United States," said Ben-Eliezer, who has held talks with Mubarak on numerous occasions while serving in various Israeli coalition governments.

"He gave me a lesson in democracy and said: 'We see the democracy the US spearheaded in Iran and with Hamas, in Gaza, and that's the fate of the Middle East,'" Ben-Eliezer said.

"'They may be talking about democracy but they don't know what they're talking about and the result will be extremism and radical Islam,'" he quoted Mubarak as saying. 'I won't run away' >>> Reuters | Friday, February 11, 2011

A Brittle Leader, Appearing Strong
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Hosni Mubarak’s legacy was supposed to be stability. During almost three decades in power, he rejected bold action in favor of caution. He took half-steps at economic liberalization, preserved the peace with Israel, gave his police force the power to arrest without charge and allowed only the veneer of democracy to take hold.

But history upended Mr. Mubarak, and his fall came as suddenly and surprisingly as his unlikely elevation to the presidency 30 years ago. Mr. Mubarak’s Egypt rose up against him. The streets and squares filled with hundreds of thousands of protesters day and night until he could no longer deny the inescapable conclusion that in order to restore stability, he needed to go.

It was an unexpected epitaph for a military man who until recently was revered — and reviled — as Egypt’s modern-day pharaoh, serving longer than any contemporary Egyptian leader since Muhammad Ali, the founder of the modern state. “He’s the accident of history who brilliantly survived as the longest accidental ruler of Egypt,” said Emad Shahin, an Egyptian scholar at the University of Notre Dame who, like many other Egyptians living abroad, rushed to Tahrir Square in recent days to share in the moment.

In his final appearance on state television on Thursday, when he astounded most of his listeners by appearing to say he would remain in office, he was no longer the stocky, confident military man who was the only leader most Egyptians had ever really known. At 82, he was frail and thin, with dyed black hair and a sometimes poignant undercurrent of self-justification.

The Egyptian public, Egyptian political and military leaders, and American officials all expected him to say he was handing over power. But he apparently could not bring himself to say so, clinging to his vision of himself as a reluctant leader tapped by fate to lead a nation that could not survive without his guiding hand. >>> Michael Slackman | Friday, February 11, 2011

Quel avenir pour une Egypte entre les mains de l'armée ?
LE MONDE: L'armée égyptienne, à qui ont été confiées les rênes du pays après le départ de Hosni Moubarak, vendredi 11 février, est confrontée à la tâche colossale de restaurer la stabilité du pays tout en répondant aux aspirations démocratiques des Egyptiens. Jusqu'à présent, les militaires n'ont pas exposé en détail leurs projets et l'Egypte avance en territoire inconnu. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec Reuters et AFP | Samedi 12 Février 2011

Algeriens Regierung rüstet auf
TAGES ANZEIGER: Tausende schwer bewaffnete Polizisten sind in der Hauptstadt Algier aufmarschiert. Sie wollen eine angekündigte Kundgebung gegen die Regierung verhindern, die um 11 Uhr beginnen soll.

Vor dem geplanten Protestmarsch der algerischen Opposition haben Hunderte von Polizisten am Samstag Stellungen in der algerischen Hauptstadt Algier bezogen. Busse und Kleintransporter voller Sicherheitskräfte wurden an strategisch wichtigen Punkten rund um Algier und entlang der Route gezogen, auf dem die Regierungsgegner trotz eines Verbots demonstrieren wollen.

Der Erfolg der Protestbewegung in Ägypten und der Sturz des tunesischen Staatschefs Zine El Abidine Ben Ali im benachbarten Tunesien haben der algerischen Opposition und ihrer Forderung nach politischen Reformen neuen Auftrieb gegeben. Die Atmosphäre ist angespannt. >>> sda | Samstag, 12. Februar 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Algerian protesters clash with police: Thousands of people defied an official ban on demonstrations in the Algerian capital and gathered in the city center for an pro-reform protest, the day after weeks of mass protests in Egypt succeeded in toppling the president. >>> | Saturday, February 12, 2011

Chinesische Medien spielen Mubaraks Sturz herunter
WELT ONLINE: Zu viele Bilder von jubelnden Menschenmassen aus Kairo will das chinesische Regime seinem Volk vorsichtshalber nicht zumuten.

In der Berichterstattung über den Rücktritt des ägyptischen Präsidenten Husni Mubarak versucht China offenbar, die Bedeutung der Massenproteste herunterzuspielen. Beobachter gehen davon aus, dass Peking seine Bürger so davon abhalten will, ihrerseits gegen die Regierung auf die Straße zu gehen.

Die meisten Zeitungen und Internetportale veröffentlichten lediglich eine knappe Meldung der amtlichen Nachrichtenagentur Xinhua über den Rücktritt Mubaraks. Die Massenproteste, die letztlich zum Sturz des ägyptischen Präsidenten führten, wurden nur kurz erwähnt. >>> dpa/reuters/str | Samstag, 12. Februar 2011

MUBARAK VERLÄSST KAIRO: So feierte Ägypten seine Wende
Der Präsident gibt auf, das Volk jubelt. Der 11. Februar brachte Ägypten seine Wende

Sarkozy salue la décision "courageuse et nécessaire" de Moubarak
LE POINT: Le président égyptien a décidé, vendredi, de démissionner et de confier la gestion du pays au Conseil supérieur de l'armée.

Nicolas Sarkozy a salué, vendredi, la décision "courageuse et nécessaire" du président Hosni Moubarak de quitter le pouvoir et a exprimé son espoir que les nouvelles autorités égyptiennes organisent des élections "libres et transparentes" permettant l'avènement d'institutions démocratiques. "Après plusieurs semaines durant lesquelles le peuple égyptien a exprimé avec force et dignité sa volonté de changement, le président Moubarak a décidé de mettre fin à ses fonctions de président de la République arabe d'Égypte. La France rend hommage à cette décision courageuse et nécessaire", a déclaré Nicolas Sarkozy dans un communiqué, saluant un "moment historique". >>> Source AFP | Vendredi 11 Février 2011

A Tyrant's Exit. A Nation's Joy
THE INDEPENDENT: Robert Fisk: They sang. They laughed. They cried. Mubarak was no more


Everyone suddenly burst out singing.

And laughing, and crying, and shouting and praying, kneeling on the road and kissing the filthy tarmac right in front of me, and dancing and praising God for ridding them of Hosni Mubarak – a generous moment, for it was their courage rather than divine intervention which rid Egypt of its dictator – and weeping tears which splashed down their clothes. It was as if every man and woman had just got married, as if joy could smother the decades of dictatorship and pain and repression and humiliation and blood. Forever, it will be known as the Egyptian Revolution of 25 January – the day the rising began – and it will be forever the story of a risen people.

The old man had gone at last, handing power not to the Vice-President but – ominously, though the millions of non-violent revolutionaries were in no mood to appreciate this last night – to Egypt's army council, to a field marshal and a lot of brigadier generals, guarantors, for now, of all that the pro-democracy protesters had fought and, in some cases, died for. Yet even the soldiers were happy. At the very moment when the news of Mubarak's demise licked like fire through the demonstrators outside the army-protected state television station on the Nile, the face of one young officer burst into joy. All day, the demonstrators had been telling the soldiers that they were brothers. Well, we shall see. Read on and comment >>> Robert Fisk | Saturday, February 12, 2011

Pat Condell: The Taste of Multiculturalism

HT: Always On Watch >>>

Feldmarschall neues Staatsoberhaupt
Ein Militärgremium hat vorübergehend die Macht übernommen. Der Feldmarschall Mohammed Hussein Tantawi soll nun als Vorsitzender des Militärrats die Funktion des Staatsoberhauptes übernehmen. Einschätzungen von Reinhard Schulze, Islam-Wissenschaftler der Uni Bern.

Switzerland Orders Freeze on Mubarak Assets
ARAB NEWS: GENEVA: The Swiss government on Friday froze any assets belonging to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak or his family in Switzerland.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lars Knuchel said the order to block any bank accounts takes effect immediately but gave no details on the family’s assets. He spoke as pro-democracy demonstrators in Cairo were jubilantly celebrating the announcement that Mubarak has resigned after nearly three decades of authoritarian rule and handed power over to the military. >>> Associated Press | Friday, February 11, 2011

SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Bundesrat blockiert Mubarak-Gelder: Der Bundesrat sperrt allfällige Gelder des zurückgetretenen ägyptischen Präsidenten Husni Mubarak und dessen persönlichen Umfelds. Das sagte Bundespräsidentin Micheline Calmy-Rey. >>> | Freitag, 11. Februar 2011

Ahmadinejad: "Islamische Revolution ist global"
DIE PRESSE: Der Iran feiert am Freitag den 32. Jahrestag der Revolution. Präsident Ahmadinejad nennt die islamische Bewegung die einzig überlebensfähige Ideologie.

Hunderttausende Menschen haben sich am Freitag im Zentrum der iranischen Hauptstadt Teheran zu der Feier des 32. Jahrestages der Iranischen Revolution versammelt. Präsident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rief in einer Ansprache auf dem Asadi-Platz den Westen auf, sich nicht in die Geschicke Ägyptens und Tunesiens einzumischen. Zugleich äußerte er seine Unterstützung für die Proteste in Kairo.

"Ich sage den Völkern und der Jugend der islamischen und arabischen Länder, insbesondere den Ägyptern: Seid wachsam. Es ist euer Recht frei zu sein, eure Regierung und eure Führung zu wählen", sagte der Präsident. "Die Islamische Revolution war ein Anfang mit einem offenen Ende und sollte nicht mehr als nationale, sondern vielmehr als globale Bewegung betrachtet werden." "Kapitalismus wird zusammenbrechen" >>> Ag. | Freitag, 11. Februar 2011

UMSTURZ IN ÄGYPTEN: Weitere Regime werden fallen
ZEIT ONLINE: Der Sturz Mubaraks ist der Beginn einer Zeitenwende in der arabischen Welt. Weitere Völker werden für Freiheit und Würde kämpfen. Ein Kommentar

Mit einer geradezu übermächtigen Anstrengung haben die Menschen in Ägypten ihren Ewig-Herrscher Hosni Mubarak nach 18 Tagen Kampf vom Thron gestoßen. Zum ersten Mal haben Millionen am Nil am eigenen Leib erfahren, was Freiheit, Würde und Solidarität bedeuten. Sie ahnen nun, was ein Leben ohne Angst bedeutet. Mit vorbildlichem Nachbarschaftsgeist hatten sie die nächtlichen Plünderer des Regimes aus ihren Vierteln vertrieben. Und nun bejubeln sie auf dem Tahrir-Platz ihren ersten Schritt in eine demokratische Zukunft. >>> Von Martin Gehlen | Freitag, 11. Februar 2011

Related >>>

Ex-Egypt Envoy: Israel in Trouble
YNET NEWS: Zvi Mazel, former ambassador to Cairo, says Israel facing 'hostile situation' following Mubarak's downfall. 'The army will rule Egypt for years. It's a whole new world, with no one left to lead the pragmatic states'

srael's former ambassador to Egypt was particularly pessimistic Friday after hearing of President Hosni Mubarak's dramatic resignation.

"It's over, Egypt is no longer a superpower," former Israeli Ambassador to Cairo Zvi Mazel told Ynet. "Egypt has completely lost its status in the area, while Turkey and Iran are on the way up. It's a different world."

"As long as we had Mubarak, there was no void in our relations with the region. Now we're in big trouble," he said. >>> Ronen Medzini | Friday, February 11, 2011

Islamists Welcome 'Day of Victory'
YNET NEWS: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood says main goal of revolution achieved, Hamas demands change

A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest opposition group, said Egyptians had achieved the main goal of their popular uprising after President Hosni Mubarak resigned on Friday.


"I salute the Egyptian people and the martyrs. This is the day of victory for the Egyptian people. The main goal of the revolution has been achieved," Mohamed el-Katatni, former leader of the Brotherhood's parliamentary bloc, told Reuters.

Katatni said the Brotherhood awaits the next steps to be taken by the Higher Military Council, which has taken charge of the country's affairs after Mubarak's decision.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza let off fireworks and shot into the air to celebrate Mubarak's departure Friday, and Hamas called on Egypt's new rulers to change his policies. >>> Reuters | Friday, February 11, 2011

Which Middle Eastern Country Will Be Next to Fall?
First it was Tunisia, then came Egypt. One can only wonder which country will be next. One can only wonder which country is now the weakest link in the chain. For indeed, the domino efect has already taken hold.

The Saudi royal family won’t sleep well in their golden feathers tonight! They have seen how the Obama administration abandoned Mubarak in his hour of need. What reason do they have for believing that America will treat them any differently?

The Obama administration has shown itself to be weak and dithering. No certainties of the Reagan administration in the Whie House these days!

We are living in interesting times indeed. We are also living in dangerous times. A contagion appears to have taken root in north Africa and the Middle East. One can only ask oneself where it is all going to end. For there is no doubt about it, the House of Saud is not a beloved royal family by all and sundry: there are many in Saudi Arabia who would like to see the back of this régime. Now that they have witnessed the US’ lack of resolve to stand by its ally, Egypt, they may well come to the conclusion that the US will do the same with their own royal family. If they do come to this conclusion, they may well feel empowered to start their very own revolution.

We are living in interesting times indeed! – © Mark Alexander

All Rights Reserved

La mère de Julian Assange accuse l'Australie d’avoir laissé tomber son fils
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: WIKILEAKS | La mère du fondateur de WikiLeaks l’Australien Julian Assange a accusé le gouvernement de Canberra d’avoir laissé tomber son fils, qui comparait vendredi devant un tribunal dans le cadre de la demande d’extradition vers la Suède.

La mère du fondateur de WikiLeaks l’Australien Julian Assange a accusé le gouvernement de Canberra d’avoir laissé tomber son fils, qui comparait vendredi devant un tribunal de l’est de Londres dans le cadre de la demande d’extradition vers la Suède.

Christine Assange a affirmé vendredi que le ministre australien des Affaires étrangères Kevin Rudd n’avait pas respecté sa promesse de fournir une assistance diplomatique à M. Assange, de nationalité australienne. >>> AFP | Vendredi 11 Février 2011

Egypt's Joy as Mubarak Quits
THE GUARDIAN: With Hosni Mubarak's departure, the age of political reason is returning to Egypt and the wider Arab world

A joyous night in Cairo. What bliss to be alive, to be an Egyptian and an Arab. In Tahrir Square they're chanting, "Egypt is free" and "We won!"

The removal of Mubarak alone (and getting the bulk of his $40bn loot back for the national treasury), without any other reforms, would itself be experienced in the region and in Egypt as a huge political triumph. It will set new forces into motion. A nation that has witnessed miracles of mass mobilisations and a huge rise in popular political consciousness will not be easy to crush, as Tunisia demonstrates. >>> Tariq Ali | Friday, February 11, 2011

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Resigns
Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square celebrate as they respond to news of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation. It was announced by vice-president Omar Suleiman on the country's state TV

Huckabee's View: The Mood in Israel
Huckabee on Egypt's effect on Israel

Saudis Fault Obama on Egyptian Crisis
Abdullah unhappy with handling of crisis

Egyptian Army Stands By as Cairo Celebrates
Soldiers seen smiling in Tahrir Square

Protesters Celebrate in Cairo as Mubarak Steps Down
Pandemonium in Tahrir Square

Hosni Mubarak: Egyptian 'Pharaoh' Dethroned Amid Gunfire and Blood
THE GUARDIAN: Critics said the president would never leave voluntarily but few political rights and falling prosperity forced an end

Hosni Mubarak at the presidential palace. Photograph: The Guardian
Hosni Mubarak's presidency was born amid gunfire and bloodshed and ended in an equally dramatic fashion. As vice-president, Mubarak was sitting next to Anwar Sadat on 6 October 1981 at an army parade in the Cairo district of Nasser City when soldiers with Islamist sympathies turned on their leader, pouring automatic weapons fire into the reviewing stand. Sadat was killed outright. Mubarak narrowly escaped. Eight days later, he was sworn in as Egypt's third president.

That Mubarak should be ejected from the job he has held for nearly 30 years is, with hindsight, hardly a surprise. It had become clear to Egyptians and the world in recent years that even at the age of 82 he regarded the presidency as his by right, hence his nickname of "pharaoh" – and that he would not quit voluntarily. As the crisis overwhelmed him, he said he had had no intention of standing again in September. Few believed him. Others assumed he planned instead to install his second son, Gamal, in a dynastic succession.

Mubarak's attitude to his people was by turns paternalistic, aloof and repressive. Though he claimed to love his fellow Egyptians, he did not trust them, maintaining the harsh emergency laws imposed after Sadat's assassination throughout his reign. Leading an unswervingly secular, pro-western regime, he demonised even moderate Islamist parties and made of the Muslim Brotherhood a bogeyman with which to scare the Americans.

Yet, in rare interviews he implied that he believed he held some sort of divine mandate, that he ruled through and by God's will. After he survived an attempt on his life by Gema'a Islamiya (Muslim Group) terrorists in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in June 1995, one of up to eight attempted assassinations over 30 years, he returned to Cairo proclaiming that God had saved him through an act of divine providence, as in 1981.

Imperious, abstemious (he does not smoke or drink), and intensely private, he suggested Egyptians were lucky to have him in charge. Without him, he said repeatedly, there would be only chaos. And this claim to ensure stability was, in truth, his entire electoral manifesto. >>> Simon Tisdall | Friday, February 11, 2011

Jubilation as Hosni Mubarak Steps Down
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Follow live events in Egypt as Omar Suleiman announces that Hosni Mubarak is to step down and hand his powers to the military.

Cairo: The Protests Continue

Muslim Brotherhood Infiltrates Europe - Norwegian Film

HT: Baron Bodissey, Gates of Vienna >>>

The Road to Tahrir Square
Cairo Bureau Chief David D. Kirkpatrick and Mona El-Naggar took a ride to Tahrir Square with Islam Lotfi, a young activist who helped spark the uprising in Egypt, to learn how it all started

Questions about Mubarak’s Location Taking Center Stage
Mubarak's location unknown amid conflicting reports
AL ARABIYA NEWS CHANNEL: Amid rapidly changing developments in Egypt and conflicting reports about the nature of power transition, questions about the location of embattled President Hosni Mubarak are taking center stage in different local and international news media.



While Egypt's state TV reported that Mubarak will deliver a statement live from his palace, earlier Egyptian media reports suggested that Mubarak had already departed to the Sinai resort of Sharm Eshiskh onboard a military airplane and was accompanied by chief of staff of the armed forces, Lt. Gen. Sami Annan.


Other local reports indicated that Mubarak has flown to an "unknown" destination.



US-based Al-Hurra TV reported that Mubarak was flying toward the United Arab Emirates and was expected in Dubai in an hour. >>> Writer: Farrag Ismaeli, Dubai; Translator: Mustapha Ajbaili | Published: Thursday, February 10, 2011; Updated: Friday, February 11, 2011

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mubarak Reportedly Leaves Cairo: CAIRO —The Egyptian military appeared to assert its leadership Friday amid growing indications that President Hosni Mubarak was yielding all power. A Western official said that Mr. Mubarak had left the capital, though that could not be independently confirmed. >>> David D. Kirkpatrick, Anthony Shadid and Alan Cowell | Friday, February 11, 2011

The Rise of Vienna's Far Right
Examining why former dental hygienist HC Strache, leader of Austria's far right Freedom party, managed to win 27% of the vote in last year's elections in traditionally left-leaning Vienna

Lucija Stojevic | Friday, February 11, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: First Netherlands, then Sweden. Now Austria witnesses rise of far right: 'Red Vienna', a socialist and social democrat stronghold since 1920s, is latest European city to see extremists make new gains >>> Ian Traynor, Europe editor | Monday, October 11, 2010

Sarkozy Is Latest to Say Multiculturalism Has Failed
French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared multiculturalism a failed concept and called for a renewed focus on France's "identity" when he appeared on TV Thursday evening to answer questions from French citizens
FRANCE 24: French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday declared that multiculturalism had failed, joining a growing number of world leaders or ex-leaders who have condemned it.


"We have been too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the country that was receiving him," he said in a television interview in which he declared the concept a "failure." >>> AFP | Thursday, February 10, 2011

HT: KGS of Tundra Tabloids >>>

Egyptians Hold 'Farewell Friday'
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Protesters' new push to force President Mubarak to step down may test the military's loyalties.

Pro-democracy protesters in Egypt are calling for "millions" to take to the streets across the country in what could become the largest protests so far, a day after President Hosni Mubarak repeated his refusal to step down.

Massive crowds gathered in Tahrir Square ahead on Friday, chanting "the army and the people are one, hand in hand".

In a statement read out on state television at midday, the military announced that it would lift a 30-year-old emergency law but only "as soon as the current circumstances end".

The military said it would also guarantee changes to the constitution as well as a free and fair election, and it called for normal business activity to resume.

Many protesters had anticipated a much stronger statement. Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tahrir Square said people there were hugely disappointed and vowed to take the protests to "a last and final stage".

"They're frustrated, they're angry, and they say protests need to go beyond Liberation [Tahrir] Square, to the doorstep of political institutions," she said.

Protest organisers have called for 20 million people to come out on "Farewell Friday" in a final attempt to force Mubarak to step down. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, February 11, 2011

A Mubarak Double-Cross
Talking Points: 2/10

Krauthammer Fears 'Tipping Point' in Egypt
Columnist blasts Mubarak's speech

Will Egyptian Army Play Kingmaker?
Jonathan Hunt on Egypt's military

De-facto-Präsident Suleiman: In Washington beliebt, beim Volk verhasst
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Zu Beginn der Krise ernannte Mubarak ihn hastig zu seinem Stellvertreter - jetzt überträgt er Vollmachten an Omar Suleiman. Der Ex-Geheimdienstchef gilt als Hardliner, ließ Gefangene foltern. Hat er als neuer De-facto-Präsident überhaupt eine Chance, das Land zu befrieden?

Er liebt maßgeschneiderte Anzüge, hat Politikwissenschaft studiert und gilt unter Bekannten als ruhig und beherrscht. Das ist die eine Seite des Omar Suleiman. Als General kämpfte er in den beiden Nahostkriegen gegen Israel, als Chef des gefürchteten Geheimdienstes Mucharabat [sic] ließ er Gefangene misshandeln und foltern. Das ist seine andere Seite.

Der Mann ist genauso widersprüchlich wie das Land selbst. Im Westen wird er als verlässlicher Gesprächspartner geschätzt. Im eigenen Land ist er als Gesicht des Regimes verhasst.

Doch wer ist der neue starke Mann in Ägypten?

Omar Suleiman stammt aus der ländlichen Provinz Kena, wo er nach unterschiedlichen Quellenangaben 1935 oder 1936 geboren wurde. Er wuchs in einer wohlhabenden Familie auf, absolvierte eine Militärausbildung in Kairo und in der ehemaligen Sowjetunion, studierte Politik.

Nach seiner Zeit beim Militär wechselte Suleiman zum einflussreichen und gefürchteten ägyptischen Geheimdienst Mucharabat [sic], dessen Leitung er 1991 übernahm. Das unbedingte Vertrauen seines obersten Chefs Mubarak errang der Spionage-General 1995, als der Präsident bei einem Afrika-Gipfel in der äthiopischen Hauptstadt Addis Abeba ein Attentat auf seine Limousine unverletzt überstand. Es war Suleiman gewesen, der auf den Einsatz eines schwer gepanzerten Fahrzeugs bestanden hatte.

Seitdem gilt der Geheimdienstchef, der in seiner Freizeit gerne Schach und Karten spielt, als engster Vertrauter Mubaraks. Der frühere Chef eines europäischen Geheimdienstes bezeichnete ihn einmal als "Augen und Ohren des Präsidenten".

Und er ist Mubaraks Mann für die kniffligen Missionen. Ein gefragter Unterhändler >>> Von Andreas Niesmann | Donnerstag, 10. Februar 2011

LE FIGARO: Israël fonde tous ses espoirs sur Omar Souleiman: Le vice-président égyptien est bien connu des responsables israéliens. >>> Par Marc Henry | Jeudi 10 Février 2011

Ahmadinejad: No Israel, US in New Middle East
YNET NEWS: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during a speech in Tehran at a rally marking the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that "the new Middle East will turn into an area without the United States and Zionist regime."

Ahmadinejad told a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people, "The entire world will experience the sweet taste of a world without Zionists and thugs." He called on the West not to intervene in the situation in Egypt and Tunisia and allow the people "to make their own decisions". (Dudi Cohen) [Source: Ynet News] | Friday, February 11, 2011

Egypt Crisis: Protesters Vow 'Massive' Demonstrations to Dislodge Defiant Hosni Mubarak
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Furious Egyptian demonstrators have vowed to mount their biggest protests yet after President Hosni Mubarak dashed expectations by pledging once again to stay in office.


At the end of a dramatic day which saw the powerful army promise to give Egypt's protest movement all it wanted, raising hopes that the president would end his 30 year rule, Mr Mubarak instead said on television again that he would stay on till September.

The move enraged protesters and angered foreign powers, with the United States increasing international pressure on Mr Mubarak to quit.

After the president's speech, Barack Obama released a statement demanding an "unequivocal path toward genuine democracy" in Egypt, which has long been supported by massive US aid.

"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," he said.

"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." >>> Adrian Blomfield, and Nick Meo in Cairo | Friday, February 11, 2011

My comment:

I fear that very soon La Vache qui rit will become La Vache qui pleure! The future of Egypt looks bleak, the future looks red! No good will come of this defiance; no good will come of Obama’s double-dealing. The cauldron is about to boil over. – © Mark

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The Egyptian Movement for Change (Kifaya)
KIFAYA: The Egyptian Movement for Change, best known by its slogan “Kifaya” (Enough), was founded by 300 Egyptian intellectuals from various ideological backgrounds in November 2004 at a meeting at the home of al-Wasat party leader Abu ‘l-Ala Madi. The meeting was planned to discuss political opportunities in light of the upcoming 2005 parliamentary elections. The groups agreed to set up a small committee of seven members, and a conference soon thereafter attended by more than 500 people concluded with the creation of the Kifaya movement. Rather than a political party, Kifaya is best described as a coalition movement of political forces united only by a shared call for an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s rule.

Using simple but potent slogans, Kifaya called for political reforms and criticized the extension of Mubarak’s presidential term, the succession of Gamal Mubarak, government corruption, and Egypt’s state of emergency in place since 1981. The movement organized unauthorized demonstrations in brazen opposition to the legitimacy of Mubarak’s regime, being the first group to directly criticize it and other ruling elites. Following an initial protest in December 2004 of approximately 300 political activists gathered outside the High Court in downtown Cairo, in January 2005 protests were held in more strategic locations to attract greater attention (always accompanied by a generous police force) including at the Cairo Book Fair, on university campuses, and downtown in Tahrir Square. Finally by spring of 2005, protests had spread outside of Cairo; in April, anti-regime demonstrations were held simultaneously in fourteen cities. >>>

عربي >>>

La Vache Qui Rit: Celebrating 25 years of solid democracy building!
Dear President Hosni Mubarak (Raiisna Koleena):

After 25 years, we the descendants of the privileged Egyptian masses and the Egyptian diaspora and their supporters, have been blessed (guess it rubs off from your name) with economic prosperity, sound governance, occasional Titanics/terrorist attacks, and of course, your strong commitment to a prospering, democratic Egypt. No wonder you received 88 percent of your unemployed, impoverished, and frustrated people's vote! Life without you would be difficult or simply unimaginable!

However, we are willing to take that chance and to let you go. Given the long, dedicated years of service to your country and its citizens, we believe that it is time for you to take a break. Or perhaps a long vacation. Wouldn't it be great for you to take Mrs. Mubarak and to buy a house in Sharm El-Sheikh (or the Amazon) using the Treasury's money or American foreign aid (if you haven't done so already)? With all due respect, sir, you are getting old, and there really is no reason for you to worry about politics these days. Instead, we believe it is time for you to connect with the Divine (you really must!) and spend time with Gamal's children (We really hope he gives you many).

We understand it will be difficult for you to make that transition from 'democratic ruler' to civilian, but trust that everything shall be fine. We are sure that if you were able enough to convince the Americans that you are the most competent man to rule the largest Arab nation in the world and that you are the path to democracy in your region, then you will manage to do just fine.

Your achievements shall speak for themselves. Their effects will be felt by many generations of Egyptians to come. So, just leave it at that. What better way to end a long, fruitful career in your case, than just to end it?

As the future of Egypt, we hope you take our advice (since in our democracy, that is all we can really give) and leave the reigns of Egypt to another (and preferably, someone with no genetic resemblance to you.)

We sincerely wish you great future successes. If you insist on further shedding your great leadership and expertise ruling, we hear that North Korea is looking. You know what your party members say: If you can't beat them, join them!

Great job these past 25 years! Just please no more!

Respectfully yours,

The New Kifaya (Enough) Movement [Source: Facebook]

WIKI: La Vache qui rit / The Laughing Cow >>>

Anger in Cairo’s Tahrir Square

Egypt Braces for Massive Protest
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Thousands of protesters are expected to march on the streets demanding his resignation after Mubarak remained defiant.


Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy protesters are expected to march on the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities on Friday, in what could become the largest - and some fear the most violent - protests thus far.

The demonstrators’ hopes for the resignation of the President were dashed on Thursday as Hosni Mubarak, in a 17-minute address on television, said he was determined to stay in power until September, when his current term ends.

Mubarak said he was handing "the functions of the president" to Vice-President Omar Suleiman and that he would oversee an "exit" from the current crisis, and "realise the demands voiced by the youth and citizens ... without undermining the constitution in a manner that ensures the stability of our society".

Before he finished his anticlimactic speech, protesters camped in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of Egypt’s revolution, shouted "donkey, leave!"

Rabab Al Mahdi, a professor at the American University in Cairo, told Al Jazeera that the level of anger and frustration at the square was "unprecedented".

"This is putting us into a messy situation that can turn bloody at any moment," she said, adding that the fact that Mubarak "for more than 10 minutes, was talking about himself - very narcissistic, again, giving the message that he's still in control, and this, in and by itself, offended people."

Egyptian state television did not broadcast the scenes of anger after Mubarak's speech. 'People in tears' >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, February 11, 2011

Egypt's Hope Turns to Fury as Mubarak Clings to Power
THE GUARDIAN: President hands some powers to vice-president Suleiman but will remain in control until September elections

President Hosni Mubarak dashed the hopes of hundreds of thousands of Egyptians celebrating what they expected would be his resignation speech by defiantly telling them he would not bow to domestic or foreign pressure to quit.

Mubarak said he would hand some powers to his vice-president, Omar Suleiman, but would remain in overall control until September to oversee what he called an orderly transition to an elected government. He repeated a pledge not to seek re-election.

He also said that there would be no going back on a commitment of long-term political reform after the two weeks of growing protests to demand his resignation. However, he ominously referred to the army playing a role in ensuring an orderly transfer of power.

The president's defiant tone angered the crowds packed in to Cairo's Tahrir Square, the centre of protests against Mubarak's 30-year rule, and may have set the stage for an ugly confrontation at the mass demonstrations called for across Egypt. Many of the protesters waved their shoes, a traditional sign of contempt, and chanted: "He must leave", and shouted "Mubarak you are finished". >>> Chris McGreal in Cairo | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Egypt's Mubarak Refuses to Quit
BBC: Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has said he will stay in office and transfer all power only after September's presidential election.

His comments in a national TV address confounded earlier reports that he was preparing to stand down immediately.

Mr Mubarak said he would delegate some powers to Vice-President Omar Suleiman, but would ignore "diktats from abroad".

Thousands of anti-government protesters in central Cairo reacted angrily to his announcement. >>> | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Mubarak Refuses to Stand Down
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Egyptian president vows he will stay in office until September, and will not bow down to 'foreign pressure'.

Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has refused to step down from his post, saying that he will not bow to "foreign pressure" in a televised address to the nation.

Mubarak announced that he had put into place a framework that would lead to the amendment of six constitutional articles in the address late on Thursday night.

"I can not and will not accept to be dictater orders from outside, no matter what the source is," Mubarak said.

He said he was addressing his people with a "speech from the heart[.]"

Earlier, the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces had met to discuss the ongoing protests against Mubarak's government.

In a statement entitled 'Communique Number One', televised on state television, the army said it had convened the meeting response to the current political turmoil, and that it would continue to convene such meetings.

Thurday's meeting was chaired by Mohamed Tantawi, the defence minister, rather than Mubarak, who, as president, would normally have headed the meeting.

"Based on the responsibility of the armed forces and its commitment to protect the people and its keenness to protect the nation... and in support of the legitimate demands of the people [the army] will continue meeting on a continuous basis to examine measures to be taken to protect the nation and its gains and the ambitions of the great Egyptian people," the statement. >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Indonesia’s Minority Religions Targeted

Tunisian Deposed Leader Dominated by 'Lady Macbeth'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tunisia's deposed dictator's final moments before fleeing his country's "jasmine revolution" were yesterday revealed as being spent enduring a flurry of insults from his fearsome wife.

Leila Ben Ali's words of "encouragement" to her husband, Zine al-Abidine as he refused to board the plane to spirit him out of Tunisia and to Saudi Arabia were reported as: "Get on imbecile. All my life I've had to put up with your screw ups."

An unnamed senior air force official recounted the 74-year old ex-president's feeble attempt to disobey Lady Macbeth of Carthage, as his wife has been dubbed, in the French weekly, Nouvel Observateur.

As revolt rumbled in the capital, Mr Ben Ali, who was ousted after 23 years of iron rule on January 14, stood on the tarmac in Tunis airport with a small briefcase wringing his hands, and saying: "Leave me, I don't want to go, I want to die here for my country."

At Leila's side was Ali Seriati, Mr Ben Ali's feared and hated political police chief, who pushed him onto the steps, shouting: "For ----'s sake, get on!"

None of the soldiers present from the army that had helped topple Mr Ben Ali budged as the fallen leader slowly climbed the steps.

With him were his wife, their son Mohammed, their daughter Halima, her fiancé, their butler and two Philippine maids. >>> Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, February 10, 2011