Sunday, February 13, 2011
WELT ONLINE: Mit viel Geld erkauft sich der Alte Kontinent Ruhe in seinen Hinterhöfen und Energiesicherheit. Demokratie und Menschenrechte sind Nebensache.
Nicht erst seit Husni Mubaraks Rücktritt, schon mit der Flucht des tunesischen Diktators Ben Ali war den Europäern klar: Das ist der Beginn des völligen Wandels einer Region, die der Alte Kontinent gestern noch als stabilen Hinterhof betrachtet hat. Die Menschen auf den Straßen von Tunesien und Ägypten haben ihre Diktatoren davongejagt und damit Europa vor Augen geführt, dass sein jahrelanges Mühen als vermeintliche Speerspitze der Demokratie just jene bestraft hat, die diese Demokratie wirklich wollten.
Stattdessen hielt man, mit Milliarden Euro ausstaffiert, den Status Quo aufrecht, um die Stabilität nicht preiszugeben. Menschenrechte und politischer Pluralismus verschwanden hinter realpolitischer Abwägung: „Im Süden ist es die Angst, dass eine islamistische Opposition durch demokratische Wahlen an die Regierung kommt, und auch die Kooperation bei der Kontrolle von Flüchtlingsströmen“, sagt Rosa Balfour, Analystin am European Policy Center. „Dazu kommt die Eindämmung des Nahost-Konflikts und die Beziehungen mit Ländern, die auf Energieressourcen sitzen.“
Mit unzähligen Abkommen versucht die Europäische Union Nachbarschaftsregionen im Süden und Osten, aber auch weit darüber hinaus, an sich zu binden. In den vergangenen drei Jahren zahlte Brüssel an die Länder der Südlichen und Östlichen Partnerschaft mehr als 200 Millionen Euro allein für Demokratie- und Menschenrechtsprogramme. Auch Ägyptens Regierung bekam durch Dauerprojekte für den Aufbau rechtsstaatlicher Strukturen 39 Millionen Euro.
Die Gelder flossen oft auch dann noch, wenn Menschenrechtler den Umgang der geförderten Regierenden mit ihren Bürgern anklagten, Sanktionen folgten nicht. „Warum sollten die Führer dieser Länder einlenken, wenn die EU sie so oder so weiter unterstützt?“, fragt Lotte Leicht von Human Rights Watch.
Angeblich reformbereite Partner wollen nichts von Demokratie wissen, das zeigen die schon jetzt historischen Abgänge Mubaraks und Ben-Alis. Die Liste von Europas heikelsten Alliierten aber ist noch länger. Eine Auswahl. >>> Autor: S. Bolzen und C. Schiltz | Samstag, 12. Februar 2011
LE MONDE: Des milliers de jeunes Yéménites ont manifesté, samedi 12 février, à Sanaa, réclamant le départ du président Ali Abdallah Saleh, au lendemain de la chute de son homologue égyptien Hosni Moubarak sous la pression de la rue. La manifestation a été dispersée par des partisans du parti au pouvoir, le Congrès populaire général (CGP), armés de bâtons et de gourdins mais aussi d'armes blanches.
"Après Moubarak, c'est le tour d'Ali", ont scandé quelque 4 000 protestataires, pour la majorité des étudiants, en réclamant le départ du président au pouvoir depuis 32 ans. Aux cris de "Dégage Ali", "le peuple veut la chute du régime" ou encore "la révolution yéménite après celle de l'Egypte", les manifestants ont défilé de l'université de Sanaa vers le centre de la capitale. Ils sont parvenus jusqu'à la place Tahrir (place de la Libération), place forte de la contestation populaire, où les partisans du parti au pouvoir ont toutefois réussi à les disperser. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Dimanche 13 Février 2011
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: REVOLUTIONS | La Maison Blanche a affirmé vendredi que le régime islamique iranien redoutait "la volonté de son peuple", après les manifestations populaires sans précédent qui ont conduit le président égyptien Hosni Moubarak à démissionner.
Le porte-parole de la présidence américaine, Robert Gibbs, a estimé que les dirigeants iraniens semblaient inquiets d'une contagion des événements d'Egypte dans leur propre pays, en soulignant que les autorités de Téhéran procédaient à des arrestations, coupaient l'accès à internet et bloquaient les médias internationaux. >>> AFP | Vendredi 11 Février 2011
leJDD.fr: Près d'un millier d'immigrants tunisiens sont arrivés illégalement dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche sur l'île italienne de Lampedusa, selon les gardes-côtes italiens. "Depuis minuit, 977 personnes sont arrivés à Lampedusa", a déclaré dimanche matin le commandant du port de Lampedusa Antonio Morana, alors que que deux autres embarcations se rapprochaient de la petite île."La situation est difficile", a reconnu le commandant Morana, "les débarquements se poursuivent à un rythme incessant".
La mer calme et le beau temps favorisent ces départ depuis la Tunisie d'embarcations chargées d'immigrés clandestins. Le gouvernement italien a proclamé samedi l'état d'urgence humanitaire "mais cela ne suffit plus, nous devons mobiliser les pays de la Méditerranée qui ont des navires, des avions et des hélicoptères" pour contrôler la côte tunisienne, a jugé dans une interview au Corriere della Sera de dimanche le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Franco Frattini. [Source: leJDD.fr] | Dimanche 13 Février 2011
LE MONDE: L'incertitude politique pousse de nombreux Tunisiens à émigrer : Des milliers de Tunisiens ont pris l'exode pour tenter de rejoindre clandestinement les côtes européennes ces derniers jours, fuyant une Tunisie en reconstruction où le gouvernement de transition reste sous forte pression sociale et politique. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Dimanche 13 Février 2011
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Donald Rumsfeld, the former US defence secretary who sent American forces to war alongside British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, has criticised President Barack Obama for undermining the relationship between the two close allies."My impression is that the Obama administration is taking steps that at least symbolically have distanced his White House from what I have throughout my career valued as a special relationship," Mr Rumsfeld told The Sunday Telegraph.
"I don't know what it looks like from the other side of the pond, but certainly here it has dramatised the things that the Obama administration has done that are unhelpful to the relationship."
The former defence secretary cited Mr Obama's actions and words, from his early removal of the bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office to his recent assertion that the US does not have "have a stronger friend and stronger ally" than France.
"It seems gratuitous to me," Mr Rumsfeld said last week in an interview to coincide with publication of Known and Unknown, his 730-page memoir of his time in office under President George W Bush. The book, the latest in a series of insider accounts from those who served in the Bush administration, went straight to number one on Amazon, the online bookseller.
President Obama's glowing reference to French allies was particularly galling for the veteran Republican official who had taken a very different view - dismissing both France and Germany as "problems" and "old Europe" when they opposed the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003. >>> Philip Sherwell, New York | Sunday, February 13, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ministers are proposing to change the law to allow homosexual couples to "marry" in traditional religious ceremonies – including in church.Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat equalities minister, is expected shortly to outline firm plans to lift the current ban on civil partnerships being conducted in places of worship.
In a political "win" for Nick Clegg and his party, the Coalition will also say that such ceremonies should for the first time be allowed to have a religious element, such as hymn-singing and readings from the Bible.
They could, it is understood, also be carried out in the future [out] by priests or other religious figures.
The landmark move will please equality campaigners but is likely to prompt a fierce backlash from mainstream Christian leaders, as well as some Right-leaning Tories.
The Church of England has already pledged not to allow any of its buildings to be used for civil partnership ceremonies, while last year Pope Benedict said same-sex marriage was among the "most insidious and dangerous challenges that today confront the common good."
Some faiths, however – including the Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Jews – support the change in the law and will apply for their buildings to host same-sex "marriage" ceremonies. Read on and comment >>> Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor | Saturday, February 12, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Ex-nuclear chief says west must rethink Middle East policy as speculation grows he may run for office in EgyptWestern governments risk creating a new generation of Islamist extremists if they continue to support repressive regimes in the Middle East, the former head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, has told the Guardian.
In his first English-language interview since returning to Cairo in February, the Nobel peace prize-winner said the strategy of supporting authoritarian rulers in an effort to combat the threat of Islamic extremism had been a failure, with potentially disastrous consequences.
"There is a need for re-evaluation … the idea that the only alternative to authoritarian regimes is [Osama] Bin Laden and co is a fake one, yet continuation of current policies will make that prophecy come true," he said. "I see increasing radicalisation in this area of the world, and I understand the reason. People feel repressed by their own governments, they feel unfairly treated by the outside world, they wake up in the morning and who do they see – they see people being shot and killed, all Muslims from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Darfur."
ElBaradei said he felt vindicated in his cautious approach while head of the International Atomic Energy Authority. He revealed that all his reports in the runup to the Iraq war were designed to be "immune from being abused" by governments. "I would hope that the lessons of Iraq, both in London and in the US, have started to sink in," he said.
"Sure, there are dictators, but are you ready every time you want to get rid of a dictator to sacrifice a million innocent civilians? All the indications coming out of [the Chilcot inquiry] are that Iraq was not really about weapons of mass destruction but rather about regime change, and I keep asking the same question – where do you find this regime change in international law? And if it is a violation of international law, who is accountable for that?"
ElBaradei, who has emerged as a potential challenger to the three-decade rule of Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak, said western governments must withdraw the unstinting support for autocrats who were seen to be a bulwark against extremism. >>> Jack Shenker in Cairo | Wednesday, March 31, 2010
THE OBSERVER: Fred Karger has already launched a campaign for the nomination in the key states of Iowa and New HampshireFred Karger walked into a coffee shop in Manhattan looking every inch the sort of man who wants to be a Republican presidential candidate.
The long-time "Grand Old Party" operative, who has served three different Republican presidents, had close-cropped grey hair and wore a sharp blue business suit. He clutched a folder of campaign literature and handed out a T-shirt emblazoned with "Iowa 2012". But one key detail made Karger a little different in a Republican field swirling with names like Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. On his suit lapel Karger wore a badge pairing the Stars and Stripes with the rainbow colours of the gay rights movement.
Karger, 61, whose 2012 presidential exploratory committee is perhaps the furthest advanced of any potential Republican candidate, is openly gay. When he officially declares his run, he will not only be the first gay Republican presidential candidate but also the first such candidate from any political party in American history. "I am a fighter and I am trying to change the Republican party and to open it up to everybody. If every gay person left the Republican party and went to the Democrats, that would be stupid. I believe in smaller federal government and personal responsibility just like my hero, Ronald Reagan," Karger said over a chicken salad sandwich and a cola. >>> Paul Harris New York | Sunday, February 13, 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Das Aufbegehren in der arabischen Welt hat mit Husni Mubarak nun den zweiten Herrscher fortgerissen. Autoritäre Regime werden unter dem Druck der Straße zum Wandel gezwungen. Denn für Länder ohne Freiheit ist in der globalisierten Welt auf Dauer kein Platz.Husni Mubarak ist nun doch, nach halbherzigen Zugeständnissen, zurückgetreten. Für ihn gab es keine politische Zukunft mehr und nicht einmal eine Gegenwart. Er, der fast dreißig Jahre an der Spitze des Regimes stand, war zum Symbol für Stagnation geworden. Deshalb wurde sein Rücktritt so vehement gefordert. Das Aufbegehren in der arabischen Welt hat nun den zweiten Herrscher fortgerissen: erst Ben Ali in Tunesien, jetzt Mubarak in Ägypten. Werden weitere folgen?
In vielen Ländern des Nahen und Mittleren Ostens — wir erinnern uns an die grüne Bewegung in Iran — haben viele Leute die Nase voll davon, dass ihre Region nur in der Kombination aus Rohstoffexporteur und Konfliktproduzent eine weltpolitische Rolle spielt; und dass sie selbst unter Perspektivlosigkeit, Staatsversagen und dem Mangel an demokratischer Teilhabe zu leiden haben. Während die Musik einer dynamischen Weltwirtschaft anderswo spielt und allenfalls die reichen, bevölkerungsarmen Golf-Monarchien Karten für die Zukunft gelöst haben - jedenfalls glauben sie das -, sind die meisten Menschen in der arabischen Welt nur Zuschauer aus der Ferne: Sie werden von der Globalisierung umgangen; ihre Beiträge dazu sind gering, ihr kreatives Potential liegt brach wird vom eigenen Regime erstickt. >>> Von Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger | Samstag, 12. Februar 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Internet providers were shut down and Facebook accounts deleted across Algeria on Saturday as thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators were arrested in violent street demonstrations.Plastic bullets and tear gas were used to try and disperse large crowds in major cities and towns, with 30,000 riot police taking to the streets in Algiers alone.
There were also reports of journalists being targeted by state-sponsored thugs to stop reports of the disturbances being broadcast to the outside world.
But it was the government attack on the internet which was of particular significance to those calling for an end to President Abdelaziz Boutifleka's repressive regime.
Protesters mobilising through the internet were largely credited with bringing about revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.
"The government doesn't want us forming crowds through the internet," said Rachid Salem, of Co-ordination for Democratic Change in Algeria. >>> Nabila Ramdani | Saturday, February 12, 2011
AFP: Protesters in Montreal call for change in Algeria: MONTREAL — Some 200 people demonstrated Saturday in the streets of Montreal, joining calls for the resignation of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on the heels of revolts in Tunisia and Egypt. >>> AFP | Saturday, February 12, 2011
SKY NEWS: Wildfire Of Hope Spreads Across Middle East: It began when a young street vendor set himself alight in an obscure Tunisian village in an act of despair which ironically is spreading hope in a wildfire crescent from Algeria to Syria. >>> Sam Kiley, security editor | Saturday, February 12, 2011
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HINDUSTAN TIMES: "We are not fighting for an Islamic state," declares Rashad Al-Bayoumi, Brother No. 2 at the Jama'a Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimeen. And with that, the first deputy to Brother No. 1 El Morshed (the murshid, or guru) Mohammad Badie, directly addresses the gravest concern western nations harbour over Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
There are reasons to take the words seriously. The Ikhwan is the best-organised social and political outfit in the most populous Arab nation. Its leading ideologue of the 1950s and 60s, Sayyid Qutb, inspired the top leaders of Hamas and al Qaeda (though Qaeda No. 2, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, later broke with the Brotherhood's moderate, non-violent stance). In 1992 the Ikhwan proved its social strength by delivering the most efficient medical help following Cairo's devastating earthquake.
And, though the party itself is banned politically, 88 of its members independently made it to Egypt's 2005 parliament - the largest ever opposition group, representing a fifth of the legislature. Many expect them to re-emerge as a large political force in a free election.
Al-Bayoumi doesn't give out membership numbers but says the Hosni Mubarak government overstated in its claim of 1.5 million. Alaa Al-Aswany, novelist and opposition leader of the once-popular Kefaya movement that included the Ikhwan, says it wouldn't be larger than 300,000-400,000.
But the declamation of a religious state isn't the entire picture. "We do want to implement the sharia in its truest form," adds Al-Bayoumi, a 76-year-old doctorate of geology.
Sobhy Saleh, a lawyer and former MP, explains with the help of the country's soon-to-be-amended constitution. My translator Hamdy Kenawy reads out the second article: "Islam is the religion of the state, Arabic its language, and the sharia is its main source of legislation." Sitting in his Alexandria office behind a glass plaque bearing the Ikhwan's banned logo of a Koran and two crossed swords, the feisty 57-year-old member of the Brotherhood's 115-member central shura (consultation) council says, "We do not have to amend this bit of the constitution - we just have to implement it properly."
Given that the sharia has been implemented variously in different countries, which model should Egypt follow? "We have comments to make on each one of them," says Saleh. What about Saudi Arabia, the richest of the Sunni states? "It's the worst, the most corrupt," spits Saleh. >>> Amitava Sanyal, Hindustan Times | Saturday, February 12, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A court in Pakistan has issued an arrest warrant for Pervez Musharraf, the former military ruler, in connection with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.Prosecutors claim he was aware that Taliban extremists planned to kill the former prime minister but that he failed to stop her murder in Rawalpindi.
The warrant could end his plans to return to Pakistan to contest elections.
Mr Musharraf has lived in London ever since being forced from power in 2008, months after Mrs Bhutto was killed in a bomb and gun attack as she left an election rally.
On Saturday, his spokesman said he had no intention of returning to face court and that the warrant was politically motivated.
"How can the president of a country be made responsible for the non-provision of security? It's totally ridiculous, you cannot pin criminal responsibility on a president for that," said Fawad Chaudhry. >>> Rob Crilly in Islamabad | Saturday, February 12, 2011
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Haftbefehl gegen Pakistans Ex-Präsident Musharraf erlassen: Drei Jahre nach dem tödlichen Anschlag auf die frühere pakistanische Regierungschefin Benazir Bhutto ist gegen den damaligen Präsidenten Pervez Musharraf wegen mutmasslicher Verstrickung in den Fall Haftbefehl erlassen worden. >>> sda/godc | Samstag, 12. Februar 2011
THE GUARDIAN: • 400 arrested as officers enforce no-protest ban in Algiers
• Up to 5,000 protesters rally in Yemeni capital of Sana'a
• Arab leaders make concessions to avoid repeat of EgyptAlgerian police have beaten back up to 2,000 demonstrators who tried to rally in central Algiers as aftershocks from the Egyptian revolution rumbled throughout the Middle East.
Demonstrations in Algiers quickly turned to running clashes with police who had been ordered by the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to enforce a no-protest ban. Police took up positions throughout the central city hours after the tumultuous scenes in Cairo, which are likely to have significant ramifications across the region.
Even before President Hosni Mubarak left the Egyptian capital, the 12-year regime of Bouteflika had been considered to be under most threat from the popular uprisings now galvanising the Arab states. Wedged alongside Tunisia, where President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was rolled 30 days ago and near Egypt, which fell on Friday, the unstable nation has many of the characteristics of both – a disenfranchised youth and rising prices of basic goods, such as sugar and cooking oil.
It also shares a large, pervasive security presence, authoritarian rule and a general sense that citizens are not benefiting from its wealth and resources.
Late in the afternoon, protesters briefly broke a cordon and officials say 400 were arrested by police – who vastly outnumbered them. Most were then released.
The demonstrations were organised, as they were in Yemen, nearly 4,000 miles away, where at least 5,000 people, mainly youths, rallied in the capital of Sana'a to call for Egypt-style reform. However they were swelled by spontaneous gatherings, which gave impetus to claims that other regimes may be nearing a tipping point.
In Sana'a, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who took office around the same time as Mubarak and has enjoyed largely unchecked power ever since, called an emergency meeting of his security chiefs and senior ministers hours after the 82-year-old Egyptian leader left Cairo. >>> Martin Chulov in Beirut | Saturday, February 12, 2011
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THE GUARDIAN: Three years into the financial crisis, what makes banker bashing so persistent? Plus, Meryl Streep's turn as Margaret Thatcher, and is our celebrity culture tarnishing marriage?
THE ECONOMIST: What an Arab democratic spring will mean for America’s relations with the Jewish stateBRITAIN’S is based on history and showing its age. Geography dictates that Canada’s and Mexico’s will stay strong. Saudi Arabia’s will endure as long as America needs to buy its oil. The one with Hosni Mubarak (though not the one with Egypt itself) was dropped like a hot potato once the protests began.
America, in short, is both promiscuous and flighty when it comes to “special” relationships. One of the most fascinating is its long-standing fling with Israel. What, exactly, does America see in the Jewish state? And is the relationship in danger from the wind of change rattling Egypt and the wider Arab world?
These questions are best tackled in reverse order. It is easy to see why an Arab democratic spring might chill relations between America and Israel. The peace between Israel and Egypt was made between leaders, not peoples. That hardly mattered when the people of Egypt, like other Arabs, had no voice. But it will matter once they find one. Right now, the demonstrators in Tahrir Square are demanding their own freedom, not Palestine’s. But the statelessness of the Palestinians remains the great unifying cause of the Arab world. So even Israelis acknowledge that if Arab leaders have in future to respond to the wishes of their people they will become more hostile to Israel—and, by extension, to Israel’s American paramour. In that case, if America’s relationship with Israel was a marriage of convenience, like the one it has just annulled with Mr Mubarak, America might begin to see the case for a divorce, or at least some separation.
But, of course, America’s attachment to Israel is not a marriage of convenience. It looks a lot more like true love. Listen to all the sweet talk, for a start. Even Barack Obama, who in his desire to mend America’s relations with Islam has been tougher on Israel than many presidents, goes misty-eyed when he harps on the “special relationship”. It is founded, he says, on “shared values, deep and interwoven connections, and mutual interests”. And the billing and cooing is the least of the evidence. The strongest proof of America’s feelings for Israel is all the inconvenience America puts up with for the relationship’s sake. >>> | Thursday, February 10, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Pro-democracy demonstrators, inspired by the Egyptian revolution, ignore official ban and march in the capital Algiers.
Algerian security forces and pro-democracy protesters are clashing, as demonstrations got underway in the capital Algiers on Saturday.
At least 2,000 protestors were able to overcome a security cordon enforced around the capital's May First Square, joining other demonstrators calling for reform.
Earlier, thousands of police in riot gear were in position to stop the demonstrations that could mimic the uprising which forced out Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Security forces have closed all entrances to the capital and already arrested hundreds of protesters, sources told Al Jazeera.
At the scene of the protests, blogger and activist, Elias Filali, said human right's activists and syndicate members were among those arrested.
“I’m right in the middle of the march,” he told Al Jazeera. “People are being arrested and are heavily guarded by the police.”
Officials banned Saturday's opposition march, but protesters were determined to see it through. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Saturday, February 12, 2011
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LE FIGARO: Echauffourées à Alger lors de la marche de l'opposition : Des heurts entre forces de l'ordre et manifestants ont éclaté samedi place du 1er Mai, lieu de rendez-vous de la marche initiée par l'opposition mais interdite par les autorités. Des centaines de personnes, dont des députés, ont été interpellées. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Samedi 12 Février 2011
LE POINT: Des milliers de policiers dans Alger en prévision de la marche : En Algérie, l'opposition appelle à manifester "pour changer le système" samedi à 11 heures du matin. >>> Source AFP | Samedi 12 Février 2011
NZZ ONLINE: Das Aufbegehren in der arabischen Welt geht weiter: Protest in Algier niedergeknüppelt - Demonstrationen in Jemen >>> sda/afp/dpa | Samstag 12 Februar 2011
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Obama’s abandonment of Mubarak shows Israel cannot count on US at times of crisisThe 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
YNET NEWS: Ousted Egyptian leader slams 'misguided' US quest for Mideast democracy in talk with Labor Knesset memberHosni 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Friday, February 11, 2011
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
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
ZEIT ONLINE: Der Sturz Mubaraks ist der Beginn einer Zeitenwende in der arabischen Welt. Weitere Völker werden für Freiheit und Würde kämpfen. Ein KommentarMit 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 >>>
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
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
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
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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
THE GUARDIAN: With Hosni Mubarak's departure, the age of political reason is returning to Egypt and the wider Arab worldA 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
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