CAIRO, 4 Feb - President Hosni Mubarak ruled out resigning immediately to end a violent confrontation over his 30-year-rule, arguing this would bring chaos to Egypt, but the New York Times claims that the Obama administration was in talks with Egyptian officials for him to quit now.
President Hosni Mubarak, the 82-year-old leader said he believed that his country still needed him during an interview with ABC yesterday, after bloodshed in Cairo that killed 10 people.
“If I resign today, there will be chaos,” he said. Asking about calls for him to resign, he said: ”I don’t care what people say about me. Right now I care about my country. I care about Egypt.” He added on: “I was very unhappy about yesterday. I do not want to see Egyptians fighting each other.”
According to New York Times, today the administration of President Barack Obama was discussing with Egyptian officials a proposal for Mubarak to resign immediately.
Under the proposal, Mubarak would turn power over to a transitional government headed by Suleiman with the support of Egyptian military, the newspaper said, citing administration officials and Arab diplomats.
Mubarak has also announced that he would not seek re-election in September, appointed his intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as vice-president, and offered talks on reforms.
However, this announcement has failed to satisfy protestors who are trying to gather thousands of Egyptians on Friday for a fresh demonstration to force Mubarak to quit now.
As the confrontation is turning increasingly violent – protestors in Cairo’s Tahrir Square were attacked by Mubarak supporters on Wednesday – the United States has increased pressure on urging the Mubarak government to take immediate steps towards the political transition.
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