Categories: Need to know

Political stalemate paralyzes Egypt

Negotiations stall as protests continue

by macleans.ca on Monday, February 7, 2011 11:10am - 7 Comments

As protestors continued to occupy Cairo’s Tahrir Square and blocked off a key government building on Monday, members of the Egyptian government met with opposition groups to negotiate a solution to the country’s ongoing political crisis. On Sunday, Vice-President Omar Suleiman hosted talks with representatives of six opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, who were previously banned from Egypt’s political process. Talks stalled as opposition groups said the government’s concessions were not enough, saying the stalemate would only be broken if the government complied with all of its demands, including the immediate resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, the dissolution of parliament, the lifting of emergency laws and the release of political prisoners. In an effort to revive the Egyptian economy, the government has sold of $2.5-billion in short-term debt. The country’s stock market, however, will not open until February 13.

BBC News

Tags: Egypt

JamesHalifax

Currently, the chants being heard in Cairo are not about Mubarak……they sound like this:

“Death to America”
“Death to Israel”

Yep…..it’s starting.

ZestyMordant

Commenting live from Cairo, are you?

JamesHalifax

Zesty Mordant asked:
"Commenting live from Cairo, are you?"

Sorry Zesty…..I haven't been to Egypt in about 7 years. I actually saw the news on CNN.
danR, BC comment

The old regime is engineering an update. This is Obama's vision of 'change'?

The argument from 'chaos would ensue…' is patent rubbish. How many regimes have been toppled in a day (often at U.S. instigation)? With immediate improvement. How many assassination attempts against Castro for example. Did the U.S. worry 'chaos' would result?

This is not the time for Obama's measured, nuanced approach. It's time for decisive change.

Away with Mubarak yesterday. And Suleiman, his sock-puppet.

Far from the divide and conquer and waiting-out tactics of the regime, I hope the protesters EXPAND their reach into OTHER town squares.
JamesHalifax

If indeed the extremists do take over Government of Egypt, I think they may find that Western Technology is quite popular with young Egyptions.

Sharia, and freedom don't mix very well…….so we'll see the protestors continue their fight until they get the style of Government they want, or we'll see the extremists kill a lot of Egyptions in the process of taking power and holding it.

It will be interesting for a while yet.
danR

Unless the protesters send out groups from Tahrir to other city centers and seed occupations and demonstrations in more and more places, it is likely that Suleiman and his CIA/Knesset cronies will gradually strengthen their hold, and the movement will stagnate to a halt in a few months.
JamesHalifax

danR wrote:
"it is likely that Suleiman and his CIA/Knesset cronies will gradually strengthen their hold, and the movement will stagnate to a halt in a few months"

Ahhh…yes, the Knesset . OF COURSE!!!!

It's the joooossss…..

it always is, isn't it dannie boy?