Unrest in Egypt
Follow Reuters' coverage as a wave of unrest grips Egypt
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Egypt's AlexBank says first day of opening after a week-long closure was smooth, with no run on cash. uk.reuters.com -
The crisis in Egypt has dominated the security conference in Munich. Here are a selection of their opinions drawn from speeches and interviews with Reuters.
FRANK WISNER, PRES. OBAMA'S PRIVATE ENVOY TO EGYPT CRISIS, IN A SPEECH TO THE CONFERENCE:
I was in Cairo in the earlier part of the week at the instruction of President Obama. I was able to call on President Mubarak and Vice President Omar Suleiman.
Where Egypt goes, the domestic order and the external orientation of the Middle East will be profoundly affected.
This is an extremely important moment. Therefore it was appropriate for the President to make a number of gestures and speak to the leadership himself and to send his own personal message to make sure that we communicated it in a respectful manner to a man who has been a friend of the United States but who now faces the huge responsibility of having to lead Egypt through a transition towards a different future, and to do so without a resort to force: Blood begets blood.
(The government should) be able to build a consensus, a national dialogue, and change the underpinnings of the Egyptian approach to politics in recent decades, put aside the emergency law, make a commitment to free and fair elections and package these in a manner that points to all of those voicing extreme levels of discontent on the streets of Cairo a way forward." -
SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER CARL BILDT, SPEAKING TO REUTERS:
One would hope that we see a transition to a more open pluralistic political system.
Our friends are those that want to take Egypt into the modern world. One should not underestimate the roots of Arab socialism and autorcatic rule in Egyptian tradition, so it's not necessarily easy. But our friends are those that want to do it."
The story of the West in the Middle East is nearly all the story of failures. We need to think ahead on all the big issues. Our possibilities to influence the development of these societies should not be overestimated.
ROBERT ZOELLICK, PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD BANK, TO REUTERS:
What we and others have done over the years with Egypt has been to make a big difference in reducing poverty and maternal death. But it's been an incomplete modernisation.
In particular one of the areas where not enough progress was made was the youth bulge, whether educated or uneducated. Many of these young people had difficulty in finding jobs.
Economics are sometimes not enough, so this is also a question of ... frustration with corruption and nepotism.
We need to push them in a way where we try to strengthen opportunities for governance. We help build middle classes and they are a force reform and change.
U.S. SENATOR JOE LIEBERMAN, SPEAKING TO REUTERS:
I hope that the (military-dominated Egyptian) system doesn't stay. And if the transition is to mean anything positive this has got to lead to an election that is fairly conducted and a government that represents the will of the Egyptian people.
The military is playing an important role stabilising the country and being a bridge. But in the end my own hope is that that no single sector will control the system and this will lead to a broadly inclusive government. -
"Astonished by the uprising in Egypt, Western countries anxious to be on the right side of history have started to reassess ties to army-backed Arab strongmen stubbornly opposed to democracy," writes our Security Correspondent William MacLean. uk.reuters.com
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Egypt's head of antiquities, the archaeologist Zahi Hawass, says that none of the mummies in Cairo's main museum were damaged during a break-in last week but 70 other exhibits will need restoration.
Hawass dismissed earlier reports that two mummies had been damaged by looters. "There were not mummies", he said, "there were two skulls taken outside from the CT scan machine. Everything will go back to normal at Cairo Museum today." -
Here's the full story on the pro-Egypt rallies planned by Iranian opposition parties. uk.reuters.com
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Egyptian opposition groups said a meeting with Vice President Omar Suleiman was positive but had done nothing specific to meet their demands for a complete political overhaul in Egypt, writes Reuters' Marwa Awad. uk.reuters.com
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Global oil prices could exceed $110 a barrel if political unrest in Egypt continues, a member of Kuwait's Supreme Petroleum Council said today. uk.reuters.com
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Al Jazeera reports "a young couple named Ahmad and Mona are married in the middle of Tahrir Square." However, they also say one of their journalists has been detained by the military in Tahrir Square. blogs.aljazeera.net
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Some of the protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square are "settling down for the long haul, in some cases abandoning their former lives for a cause they believe in." Here's the full report on life among the most ardent protesters who say they will not be moved until Mubarak steps down. uk.reuters.com
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The BBC is reporting that demonstrators in Tahrir Square calling for President Mubarak to step down are adamant they will keep up their protest for months if they have to. www.bbc.co.uk -
Al Jazeera reports that its journalist, Ayman Mohyeldin, has been detained by the Egyptian military in Tahrir Square. blogs.aljazeera.net
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Although things are much calmer in Cairo today, there is still dramatic footage emerging online from days gone by. This footage (after the two-minute mark) seems to show a civilian shot by the police in Alexandria. Be warned: it is graphic and may offend some. Al Jazeera reporter Ayman Mohyeldin, was appealing for more information about this video just before he was taken into military custody.
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Their number may be dwindling, but those in Tahrir Square today have been in fine voice. There has been much back-and-forth among commentators about what level of importance social media has played in Egypt, and Tunisia before that. If nothing else, it will be the best-documented revolution in history. Count the cameras and phones visibly recording in this short video, and try to extrapolate how much video has been shot in Cairo over the last ten days. It's mind-boggling.
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An opposition supporter sleeps on the front line near Tahrir Square in Cairo February 6, 2011. Demonstrators camped out in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has become an epicentre for protest, vowed to intensify their battle to oust Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak but the 82-year-old president has said he will stay until September elections because the alternative is chaos. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
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Egypt's ex-trade minister, Rachid Mohamed Rachid, says that Mubarak's participation in the country's government transition was "critical" www.reuters.com
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Opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei says he was not invited to the talks on Egypt's future and says the talks lack credibility www.reuters.com
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A new report by Al Jazeera questions whether Omar Suleiman, Egypt's recently appointed vice-president, can be seen as an honest broker in negotiations with opposition groups. Leaked U.S. diplomatic cables show that the vice-president previously harshly criticized the Muslim Brotherhood in communications with U.S. officials. english.aljazeera.net -
In his Monday column for the Washington Post, Fareed Zakaria argues that Egypt is not Iran in a dozen important ways. www.washingtonpost.com
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says her Egypt policy looks "over the horizon" beyond the country's current political turmoil to its possible democratic future -- a future which must be carefully planned. www.reuters.com
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The New York Times is reporting that Wael Ghonim, after disappearing in Egypt more than a week ago, is expected to be released by Egyptian authorities on Monday afternoon. Head of marketing for Google in the Middle East and North America, Ghonim disappeared after leaving this ominous message on his Twitter account: “Pray for #Egypt. Very worried as it seems that government is planning a war crime tomorrow against people. We are all ready to die #Jan25.” www.nytimes.com
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Oil traders are worried that unrest in Tunisia and Egypt could fuel similar protests in bigger oil producers such as Libya -- or even Saudi Arabia, creating massive uncertainty over oil supplies. www.reuters.com
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Tide turns in favor of Egypt's Brotherhood. Read our latest feature report on www.reuters.com
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John Plunkett and Josh Halliday from The Guardian discuss Al-Jazeera's coverage of Egypt protests and how its gaining global popularity. bit.ly
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Economic Times is reporting the missing Google executive in Egypt will be released. economictimes.indiatimes.com
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E.J. Dionne Jr. from the Washington Post argues how the Egyptian turmoil is a lesson in humility for the U.S. wapo.st
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Emboldened Egyptians demand affordable homes. Find out more on www.reuters.com
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Who's taking the lead in Egypt's crisis? Read our latest factbox on www.reuters.com
Biden says United States would come to Taiwan's defense
BALTIMORE (Reuters) -The United States would come to Taiwan's defense and has a commitment to defend the island China claims as its own, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday, though the White House said later there was no change in policy towards the island.