Egypt's army pledges not to open fire

CTVNEWS

Egypt's army says it won't fire on protesters

CTV.ca News Staff Published Monday, January 31, 2011 10:09PM EST Last Updated Saturday, May 19, 2012 3:48AM EDT

Text:

The Egyptian army announced on Monday it would not fire on the tens of thousands of protesters calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

An army spokesperson made the announcement on state TV saying, "freedom of expression through peaceful means is guaranteed to everybody."

Egypt's government is dominated by former military officers, but the opposition parties are not considering the military's announcement a victory.

Egypt's new vice president, Omar Suleiman, also said that he had been authorized to talk to the opposition about political reform but did not offer details.

Protests continued as Mubarak brought in a new government Monday, as a determined coalition of opposition groups planned a million-person march to ratchet up the pressure on his regime.

Mubarak announced the change in government on state television on Monday afternoon.

The 82-year-old Egyptian leader dumped several prominent businessmen from his cabinet, as well as interior minister Habib el-Adly, who was widely despised for the brutal tactics used by the security forces under his control. Culture Minister Farouq Hosni was also let go.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and the country's defence minister, Hussein Tantawi, kept their posts in the hastily announced shakeup. Zahi Hawass, a well-known Egyptian archaeologist was given the new posting of state minister for antiquities.

The announcement of a new government came on the seventh day of protests in Egypt, where Mubarak is blamed for widespread poverty, inflation and various abuses during his 30 years in power.

Dozens of people have died during the protests and thousands have been injured.

A coalition of opposition groups is currently organizing a massive march from Tahrir Square, a plaza in downtown Cairo that has become the focal point of the anti-government protests. The goal is to have one million Egyptians take part in the march that is scheduled for Tuesday.

Opposition groups say they are also in the midst of discussions to determine their strategy for pushing Mubarak from office. Their desire is for Mubarak to step down by Friday.

Mohamed ElBaradei -- the former head of the UN nuclear watchdog and a Nobel Peace laureate -- may become the lead spokesperson for the many thousands of protesters in Cairo.

CNN correspondent Fred Pleitgen told 麻豆传媒 Channel there were thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square on Monday, as they continued their protests against the Mubarak regime.

Inside Cairo, banks, schools and the stock market remain closed Monday, as are government offices and most private businesses. Garbage collectors and police could be seen on the streets and Cairo subway stations reopened are being closed overnight.

CTV's Middle East Bureau Chief Martin Seemungal said the Egyptian army was directing traffic in Cairo throughout the morning, and was trying to keep the peace in Tahrir Square.

There have been rumours that Egyptian police could return to the streets at any time, but Seemungal said they have made few appearances in Cairo on Monday.

"We are seeing traffic police who have come back in 鈥� and so far the interface between the people, the public and the police seems to be good," Seemungal reported to CTV's Canada AM from Cairo on Monday.

"But again, we know that on Friday there was tremendous friction between the riot police and the people, so we're still waiting to see if they are deployed."

At the international airport in Cairo, thousands of foreigners tried to book flights out of Egypt. Canada was among the many governments working to get planes into Cairo so that their citizens could fly out.

With files from The Associated Press

RELATED IMAGES

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Anti-government protesters offer their evening prayers, in front of an Egyptian army tank securing the area, during a protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. (AP / Lefteris Pitarakis)
Egyptian protesters gather around Arabic words on the ground reading 'Leave coward, we are not leaving the square', in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011.
A view of protesters gathered in Tahrir, or Liberation Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. (AP / Lefteris Pitarakis)
People demonstrate in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. A coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to Cairo's streets to ratchet up pressure for President Hosni Mubarak to leave. (AP / Ben Curtis)
A member of the Egyptian special forces stands guard on the main floor of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. Would-be looters broke into Cairo's famed museum, ripping the heads off two mummies before being caught. (AP / Tara Todras-Whitehill)
People walk past a burned police station in Cairo, Egypt, Monday Jan. 31, 2011. Police and garbage collectors appeared on the streets of Cairo Monday morning and subway stations reopened after soldiers and neighbourhood watch groups kept the peace in many districts overnight. (AP / Lefteris Pitarakis)