Special Morning Ed.: Egypt's Protesters and Arab Leaders

Several articles....

Egypt protesters defy VP warnings they must stop

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's anti-government activists called on supporters Wednesday to expand their demonstrations in defiance of the vice president's warning that protests calling for President Hosni Mubarak's ouster would not be tolerated for much longer.

Vice President Omar Suleiman, who is managing the crisis, raised the prospect of a new crackdown on protesters Tuesday when he told Egyptian newspaper editors there could be a "coup" unless demonstrators agree to enter negotiations. The protesters insist they won't talk before Mubarak steps down, which the president is refusing to do.

"He is threatening to impose martial law, which means everybody in the square will be smashed," said Abdul-Rahman Samir, a spokesman for a coalition of the five main youth groups behind protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square. "But what would he do with the rest of the 70 million Egyptians who will follow us afterward."

Suleiman is creating "a disastrous scenario," Samir said. "We are striking and we will protest and we will not negotiate until Mubarak steps down. Whoever wants to threaten us, then let them do so," he added.

Full article Associated Press

Egypt's Protesters Plan To Move Beyond Tahrir Square

There are those in Tahrir Square who are calling for Mubarak's arrest and trial in court to be tried for murder. As indeed, it should probably be so.

From NPR:
"The massive demonstrations pushing for the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak are in their third week. A 30-year-old Google executive, who helped ignite the uprising, energized a cheering crowd with his first appearance in their midst after being released from 12 days in secret detention."

Listen to the full NPR Article

Arab Leaders Feel U.S. Abandoned Egypt's Mubarak

"U.S. allies in the Middle East are watching the Obama administration's pronouncements on Egypt with anxiety. Mubarak was Washington's man for 30 years. Now, Obama wants him to go. What does that mean for other American friends?"

Listen to the full NPR Article