Hillary Clinton to Omar Suleiman: the political transition "has to start now"
The US State Department issued a stark travel warning Wednesday for US citizens in Egypt, urging those who want to leave to "immediately" head for the airport, adding that any delay was "not advisable.""Do not wait for a call from the US embassy. Further delay is not advisable," the State Department warned, adding: "Additional US government flights after Thursday are unlikely." France also urged its citizens to immediately quit the country.
The warning came after days of protests against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who seems to be throwing his final papers before the “Friday of departure”. Yesterday, pro-Mubarak protesters - some on horses and some on camels - attacked anti-Mubarak rallies with gunfire leaving at least five people dead and more than 800 wounded in Cairo's central Tahrir Square in the early hours Thursday.
Mubarak loyalists also threw Molotov cocktails and homemade bombs at opposition protesters, who erected makeshift barricades around the square. The Egyptian army reportedly also arrested several people following the violence early on Thursday, however the numbers were unconfirmed.
Opposition groups said Mubarak had sent in "thugs" to suppress anti-government protests. Though initially put on the back-foot by the sudden attack, determined pro-democracy protesters looked to be winning the battle against the assailants and said they would not give up until Mubarak steps down. A witness said organizers were paying people $17, to take part in the pro-Mubarak rally, a claim that could not be confirmed.
Mubarak appears to be digging his heels in after defying more than a week of massive protests calling for his immediate ouster, he only vowed that he would not run for re-election in September what raged the protesters more.
Egypt's National Coalition for Change on Thursday rejected any talks with the regime of Mubarak before the veteran leader goes, spokesman Mohammed Abul Ghar told AFP. "After Mubarak leaves, we're ready for dialogue with (Vice President Omar) Suleiman," Ghar said. The National Coalition for Change includes leading dissident Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, members of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, the Kefaya movement and other political parties.
The United States Wednesday cranked up pressure on Mubarak after he rebuffed calls to begin an immediate power transfer.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned Mubarak's newly-appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, to request a probe into brutal clashes in Cairo that left at least three dead and more than 600 injured. Clinton said to Suleiman that the political transition "has to start now," her spokesperson Philip Crowley said.
