(AhlulBayt News Agency) - He claims he intends to give up power in the face of protests, but fears there will be more turmoil if he steps down now.
In an interview with ABC on Thursday, Mubarak said he was getting weary of being president and wanted to abandon power, but fears his resignation will unleash a fresh wave of upheaval in the country.
"I am fed up. After 62 years in public service, I have had enough. I want to go," said Mubarak, adding that "If I resign today, there will be chaos."
The embattled Egyptian president, who resides inside his heavily guarded palace in Cairo, also played down the outside pressure on him to immediately step down, saying that "I don't care what people say about me. Right now I care about my country."
The 82-year-old president made the remarks as millions of Egyptian protesters had started marching towards Cairo's Tahrir Square on Thursday.
The protesters have vowed to stand firm despite the deadly clashes that left several people dead and at least 1,500 others wounded in Cairo on Wednesday and the early hours of Thursday.
The Egyptian anti-government protesters have started the eleventh consecutive day of their demonstrations across the country to force Mubarak to step down, staging a “Day of Departure” for him.
/106