Tags
cricketdiane, Democracy, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Mubarak, Suleiman, US foreign aid, US foreign military aid
Reported just now on CNNI – Anderson Cooper stated that reports have come saying the military leaders have dismissed the regime’s entrenched members and dismissed the Egyptian Parliament. I’ll have to go find that. It would be absolutely amazing. It would mean that opportunities for the future exist that didn’t exist even twenty minutes ago for Egypt and for the world community.
This has the video clip of Suleiman’s announcement about Mubarak stepping down –
http://us.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/11/egypt.protests/index.html?hpt=T1
**
From USA Today –
Update at 12:09 p.m. ET: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation has sent stock prices up and oil prices down, the Associated Press reports.
Reuters reports that parliament will be suspended and the military will lead the country along with the head of the constitutional court.
(etc.)
***
http://bikyamasr.com/wordpress/?p=26723
Defense Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi will be the head of the ruling military council, Reuters quoted a military source as saying.
In related news, Switzerland has frozen the funds of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and 20 other officials, the Muslim Brotherhood said on its website on Friday.
(etc.)
Hmmm…………
That would be very good.
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Swiss freeze possible Mubarak assets
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/11/us-swiss-mubarak-idUSTRE71A58R20110211
“I can confirm that Switzerland has frozen possible assets of the former Egyptian president (Mubarak) with immediate effect,” spokesman Lars Knuchel said, declining to specify how much money was involved.
My Note –
That is amazing – Mubarak’s $70 billion gains in a total Egyptian economy something like $496 billion would mean that he has had personal ownership of ill-gotten assets amounting to greater than one tenth of the total economy.
It is about time the international community do something to look at that and possibly make it right by restoring those funds to the Egyptian people where they belong or return them to the nations and businesses from which Mubarak hijacked them.
– cricketdiane
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We finally found something that we all agree upon – around the world, across the aisles of the US Congress and our political spectrum from one religion to another and across all the world’s people – that view of people standing up for freedom, for peace in their lives to live free and have their basic human rights honored, to have the opportunity to choose their own leaders and to no longer be beaten down, oppressed and cheated from their own lives.
Across the international community and across the spectrum of extremes – even yet for all that, we agree. Freedom from oppression is dear and valuable and important.
UK Prime Minister Cameron is speaking now.
“We stand ready to help in any way we can.”
On CNN
***
Now, there is a statement being made by the Higher Military Council in Egypt
CNNI and on the Egyptian State Television
Expresses appreciation for the lives of the marchers – and honor for the efforts and the lives of the protesters including those that were lost.
***
From the BBC Coverage of Prime Minister David Cameron’s statement a few minutes ago –
Egypt has a “precious moment of opportunity” to move towards “civilian and democratic rule” in Egypt, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
Mr Cameron said the UK is a friend of Egypt that stands ready to “help in any way that we can”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12435618
My Note –
I should go find the entire statement made by UK’s Prime Minister Cameron – it was really wonderfully stated and exactly right.
President Obama will address the nation at 3 pm (according to Wolf Blitzer just now – CNN)
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UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon is speaking on BBC Live Coverage – his statement can be found here –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
-
1846: More from Ban Ki-moon: “The voice of the Egyptian people – particularly the youth – has been heard and it is for them to determine the future of their country. I commend the people of Egypt for the peaceful, courageous and orderly manner, in which they have exercised their legitimate rights. I call on all parties to continue in the same spirit.”
***
Received news on BBC notes just now that five more people have died in clashes north of Cairo somewhere near Gaza in protests there – Hmmm…..
They reported on it just a few seconds ago. What a shame. Apparently the protesters were hit by molotov cocktails or something?
I was looking for the statement to save it from UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon a few minutes ago – found this – very nifty –
The task of human protection is neither simple nor easy. We don’t always succeed. But we must keep trying to make a difference. That is our individual and collective responsibility.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Cyril Foster Lecture 2011 on “Human Protection and the 21st Century United Nations”
2 February 2011
His statement will probably show up in a little while. They are very busy right now, most certainly.
It was great. I’ll have to find it later when things slow down a bit.
***
The President will be speaking in about fifteen minutes.
It is an historic occasion and his words will ring out through history from this day. I hope they get it right.
Bloomberg showing what the Egyptian market “Futures” looked like on a chart at 11 am today as soon as Suleiman announced that Mubarak had stepped down – the values shot upwards like rockets. It would be worth seeing that chart on their online site or later when they repeat the story. truly substantial change. (my note)
Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) — Stocks rose, reversing an early drop, and the cost to insure Egyptian debt from default declined as the resignation of the nation’s President Hosni Mubarak and a jump in U.S. consumer confidence bolstered investor optimism.
The resignation eased concern that tensions will spread throughout a region that holds more than 50 percent of the world’s oil reserves.
February 11, 2011 at 1.36 pm (ET)
Note – that article does not have the chart they were showing on bloomberg news which clearly showed the jump in values made by purchases of Egyptian equities moments after Mubarak was gone.
***
On the BBC coverage online and on the tele I suppose, is showing the fireworks in the sky of Cairo in celebration of Mubarak being gone and freedom for Egypt. The show it every so often in the Live shots from Cairo.
It is here with a sidebar that constantly updates – very nifty – Live
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
** I was reading this one, too – it is interesting –
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/04/egypt.mubarak.profile/
Longtime observers of the region say the stability Mubarak purchased for nearly three decades came at the cost of entrenched poverty and repression in the Arab world’s most populous nation.
“Egypt is a broken country,” Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern relations at the London School of Economics, told CNN. “It used to be the jewel of the Middle East. It’s the capital of its cultural production.”
(etc. – it has some of an overview of the history that brought Mubarak to power but it isn’t super detailed about it all.)
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Mubarak quits: Other countries offer Egypt congratulations, support
[Update 9:27 p.m. in Cairo, 2:27 p.m. ET] Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh called Egypt “a pillar in the region” and sent along “wishes for stability, security and prosperity.” In a Twitter message, he said Jordan “respects free choice” of Egyptians and has confidence in the military to lead the country toward a “new era.”
[Update 8:58 p.m. in Cairo, 1:58 p.m. ET] China “understands and supports Egypt’s efforts to maintain social stability and restore normal order” and believes “that the affairs of Egypt should be decided by itself independently without intervention from the outside,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed Egypt’s “historic moment” and paid tribute to Hosni Mubarak’s decision to resign. France – which called for steps leading to free elections and reforms – urged Egyptians” to continue their non-violent march to freedom.”
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Friday called the political change in Egypt an important development for the people and their democratic aspirations.
(from)
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/11/egypt-unrest-protesters-begin-18th-day-of-demonstrations/
Well, (my note) it was tempting to put China’s backhanded statement aside, they should know better. But, maybe it was not the statement quite as they intended. I wouldn’t expect them to celebrate but at the same time, taking the opportunity to put in their little aside as they did was a bit much. They could’ve said they were glad it got sorted out.
Wow.7-:
President Obama was speaking and then everybody calls on the telephone – so now I’m going to have to go find what he said to hear it again. Apparently, the news is saying that we will be as partners and that “Americans stand ready to help if asked.” Well, yep going to go look it up online to see it again. Very nifty, though.
A number of impressive statements about how powerful President Obama’s statement was, also. And, the ones earlier today from other world leaders have been impressive, too.
The BBC noted in their updating sidebar –
2007: Mr. Obama says: “The people of Egypt have spoken, the voices have been heard and Egypt will never be the same.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
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And, my daughter that watched this take place was very thrilled to see the Egyptian people win their freedom from a man that she said could’ve ended up looking like Marie Antoinette did by the time it was done. (She’s in her early twenties.)
I agree – Mubarak and Marie Antoinette could’ve ended up looking like twins. Except that Ms. Antoinette was a party girl and Mr. Mubarak was a Marquise de Sade.
– cricketdiane
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