Egypt Rolling Updates Fri 11 Feb

up to 8000 now gathering in Aswan

People still arriving in Liberation Sq. not an inch of pavement and crowds spilling over per AJ report

Tensions outside the palace between army and demonstrators -AJE

Voice of America is reporting that the army is backing the transfer of power to the VP.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Egypt-Protest-Organizers-Promise-Largest-Protests-Yet-115866209.html

Egypt's military has endorsed the transfer of powers from embattled President Hosni Mubarak to Vice President Omar Suleiman and called for a return to normal life in the Egyptian capital, wracked for 18 days by anti-Mubarak demonstrations.

The military released its statement Friday after a meeting of its Supreme Council, on a day protest organizers predicted the largest demonstrations since the start of the popular uprising last month.

More at the link above

Reports of snipers on top of the Presidential Palace!

MissHidalgo wrote:Tensions outside the palace between army and demonstrators -AJE

Heard that Aj said an Army officer told them they should treat Mubarak with "dignity" didn't go over well with protesters as could be expected
"

Luna wrote:Reports of snipers on top of the Presidential Palace!

OH NO

miabelieves wrote:like the name MyHaloisGone...morning

Thanks and good morning Mia...it is my own symbol for hoping to learn enough in this lifetime, for I am no angel..but I sure do rely on mine for guidance and grace

Ya know just noticed that on this site you don't get the flack about "no linky" or the BS flag. Great job Janey and Mods

Press TV are saying they can't get guests into the building anymore because the protesters have surrounded the building and blocking all entrances.

Presidential guard are surrounding the palace and snipers are positioned on the roof top. They are also on top of buildings near the palace.

A march in Alexandria towards the Presidential Palace there. Protesters are also blocking people entering into buildings there.

Time for the army to do their job and spill their own blood for the good of the people.

That's what an army is supposed to do. Get in harm's way to protect the people. Slaughter all that stand in the way to Mubarak.

Ubetcha wrote:

Luna wrote:Reports of snipers on top of the Presidential Palace!

OH NO

yes confirmed. They are presidential guard and not the regular army

At what time the prayer is supposed to happen? 3PM Cairo time?

It seems the army are concerned that all of this is being orchestrated by the US and Hammas to take over Egypt! Do they really believe that the US and Hammas are working together on this? More like they don't want to lose their fat pay checks and nice fat back handers. I hope lower ranks of the military will refuse any orders to turn on the people but those snipers on top of the Cairo Presidential Palace are a concern because we know they were shooting into the Square last week.

Ubetcha wrote:Ya know just noticed that on this site you don't get the flack about "no linky" or the BS flag. Great job Janey and Mods

from my side of things it is hard for me to give links. I get much of my info from sources whom I am talking to on MSN conference or the phone for my day job. If that is not the case, my info comes directly from the wires. I have a second machine here that just spews out headlines all day. I rarely look on the net for info so cannot link

Luna wrote:It seems the army are concerned that all of this is being orchestrated by the US and Hammas to take over Egypt! Do they really believe that the US and Hammas are working together on this? More like they don't want to lose their fat pay checks and nice fat back handers. I hope lower ranks of the military will refuse any orders to turn on the people but those snipers on top of the Cairo Presidential Palace are a concern because we know they were shooting into the Square last week.

remember too Luna that these are the elite presidential guard at the palace. They are very different from the regular army and are best seen as Mubaraks personal bodyguards

Morning y'all- just found this on the military's statement:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iyblSd9jb31ESnGl9NLZ2fv8reGg?docId=N0674271297378181578A

Snip:


Egypt's military has thrown its weight behind President Hosni Mubarak's decision not to resign but to transfer most of his powers to his vice president.
The statement is likely to further enrage protesters who have marched to Mr Mubarak's Cairo palace and other key symbols of the regime in a new push to force the president out.
The statement - the second in two days - comes after a meeting of the military's Supreme Council, led by the defence minister. The military said it endorses Mr Mubarak's plan for a peaceful transfer of power and free and fair presidential elections later this year.
Meanwhile , protesters enraged by Mr Mubarak's refusal to step down streamed into Cairo's central square and promised to expand their push to drive the Egyptian president out. The stand-off posed a major test for the military as protesters stepped up calls for the army to intervene against Mr Mubarak, a former air force commander.
On Thursday night Mr Mubarak gave most of his powers to his vice president but refused to resign or leave the country, hours after the military made moves that had all the markings of a coup.
Organisers said protesters were already camped outside the presidential palace and buildings housing the Cabinet, parliament and state TV. They planned rallies at six separate protest locations, in addition to Tahrir Square, the centre of the mass rallies that began on January 25.
Several hundred thousand people had packed into Tahrir Square on Thursday, ecstatic with expectation that Mr Mubarak would announce his resignation. Instead, they watched in shocked silence as he spoke. Some broke into tears. Others waved their shoes in the air in contempt.
After the speech, they broke into chants of "Leave, leave, leave". Around 2,000 protesters then marched on the state television headquarters several streets away from Tahrir, guarded by the military with barbed wire and tanks.
Prominent reform advocate Mohamed ElBaradei, whose supporters were among the organisers of the 18-day-old wave of protests, warned in a Twitter message that "Egypt will explode".

Ghonim Wael Ghonim

I will clarify everything in Alarabeya now

Govt. buildings in Suez being taken over & reports of police joining protesters there.

netonezen‎ RT @luelabie: RT @Mo7ebk: Army at the palace spoke now that he is Egyptian and won't harm us but pls don't pass the closed line

Janey, what do you think about this?

stember‎ RT @r4today: “I think there is a split in the [Egyptian] army” says Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen

Dang I would be claustrobic in that square and people still streaming into the square

Mahalla, Tanta, Mansourah, bani Sueif, Cairo, Alexandria, Suez - all have major demonstrations demanding ouster of Mubarak/Suleiman

NDP website seems hacked. Now reads: "Closed until dropping Mubarak & the regime" http://bit.ly/eT68er

Read on another site that prayers in Tahrir were the prayers of martyrdom



can't link for obvious reasons