(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Military and ruling party officials say President Hosni Mubarak will speak to the nation soon and meet the demands of protesters. Protesters are insisting he step down immediately.
Military officials say the armed forces' supreme council has been meeting all day long and will issue a communique shortly that they say will meet the protesters' demands.
The ruling party chief, Hossan Badrawy, tells The Associated Press he expects Mubarak to address the nation and make a announcement that will satisfy their demands.
Updated
The news spread like wildfire through Tahrir Square, where demonstrators have gathered for seventeen days calling for Mubarak’s resignation and transition to a demoncratic government.
At 5:20pm Cairo time, Al-Jazeera English’s headline ran: ‘NDP chief says Egypt’s ‘Hosni Mubarak will step down tonight.’” BBC reported similar news, saying the new Secretary General of the ruling National Democratic Party had told the BBC that Mubarak would “probably” make a statement tonight and he “hopes” power will be turned over to Egypt’s new Vice President, Omar Suleiman.
Around 5:30pm Cairo time the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces made a statement – and President Mubarak was conspicuously absent. The statement was vague, but underscored the army’s duty and responsibility to safeguard the people and the interests and resrouces of the people and the nation.
Wael Nawara, Secretary-General of the opposition al-Ghad party, told Al-Jazeera English that he expects “this means President Mubarak will have to step down.”
“The people have made the revolution,” he said.
The situation is being followed closely as statements are released by various sources, with others watching to see if the President’s airplane is being readied. According to Al-Jazeera English, no unusual preparations have been seen thus far.
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