Egyptian military calls for end of protests

The Egyptian military today called for an end to more than a week of demonstrations demanding President Hosni Mubarak steps down immediately after nearly 30 years in power.

“Your message has arrived, your demands became known,” military spokesman Ismail Etman said on state television in an address directed to young protesters. “You are capable of bringing normal life to Egypt.”

Internet service also began returning to Egypt today after days of an unprecedented cut-off by the government. And state TV reported that authorities are easing a night-time curfew, which now runs from 5pm to 7am instead of 3pm to 8am.

Mr Mubarak’s embattled regime and the powerful military appear to be making a unified push to end a street movement to drive the 82-year-old leader out.

The movement, built on the work of online activists, is fuelled by deep frustration with an autocratic regime blamed for ignoring the needs of the poor and allowing corruption and official abuse to run rampant.

After years of tight state control, protesters emboldened by the Tunisia unrest took to the streets on January 25 and mounted a once-unimaginable series of protests across the country.

The army gave a tacit endorsement to the movement on Monday by saying it would not use force against protesters and that they had legitimate demands.

Yesterday, the protesters brought more than 250,000 people into Cairo’s main square to demand Mr Mubarak leaves within days.

Hours later, Mr Mubarak issued a defiant response in an address to the nation, announcing he would serve out the last months of his term and “die on Egyptian soil”.

He promised not to seek re-election in September, but that did not calm public fury as clashes erupted between his opponents and supporters.

Several thousand pro-Mubarak demonstrators were today rallying in support of the president in Cairo.

Some expressed fears of continuing shortages of food and other necessities if protesters in Tahrir Square did not end demonstrations.

“I want the people in Tahrir Square to understand that Mubarak gave his word that he will give them the country to them through elections, peacefully, now they have no reason for demonstrations,” said Ali Mahmoud, 52, who identified himself as middle-class worker from Menoufia, a Nile Delta province north of Cairo.

The presence of significant numbers of pro and anti-Mubarak demonstrators on the streets raised the danger of clashes.

Earlier today, the city of Alexandria saw fighting erupt between several hundred protesters and government supporters, Al-Jazeera television footage showed.

Ahmed Abdel Hamid, representing The Revolutionary Committee, one of several youth groups that organised the protests, said the regime was going all out to pressure people to stop protesting.

“Starting with the emotional speech of Mubarak, to the closure of banks, the shortage of food and commodities and deployment of thugs to intimidate people, these are all means to put pressure on the people,” he said.