Monday, January 31, 2011

Egypt: On Ground Updates - January 30-31, 2011

Egypt: On Ground Updates
Million-Strong Protest Planned For Tuesday -
Monday, January 31, 2011
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* Guardian.co.uk gets us started this Monday with the latest news out of Egypt. Their report starts off like this... Egypt's army gave a powerful boost to the country's opposition tonight by announcing it would not use force to silence "legitimate" demands for democratic reforms in the Arab world's largest country... On the eve of a million-strong protest planned for tomorrow and amid multiplying signs that the US is moving steadily closer towards ditching its long-standing ally, Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak now has few options left...
Read the full report at link below...
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* U.S. Department of State *
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Situation in Egypt: Information for Citizens
The U.S. Department of State recommends that U.S. citizens avoid travel to Egypt due to ongoing political and social unrest.
More info from DoS HERE
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* Reuters.com reports the news like this... talks on sweeping reforms with the opposition on Monday, as pressure from street protests, Western allies and the army appeared to be ending Mubarak's 30 years of one-man rule... After a week of unprecedented rallies against poverty, corruption and oppression under the 82-year-old military-backed leader, newly-appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman appeared on state television to say Mubarak had asked him to begin dialogue with all political forces on constitutional and other reforms... The channel later said talks had begun...
Read the rest at link below...
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* JPost.com reports... Senior Israeli government officials have been strict in upholding a silence regarding the events in Egypt, and have also been hesitant about criticizing - at least publicly - US President Barack Obama's stand toward the developments there... Privately, however, some have expressed deep concern at what they view as the hypocritical abandonment by the US of a long time ally once he seemed to be in trouble, with one official saying that while America believes pushing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak out would lead to a democratic government, the more likely scenario was that this would lead to an Islamist regime even worse on issues like human rights and freedom than Mubarak...
Read the full report at link below...
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Israelis Express Support For Egypt
About this news video: Israel's officials may be keeping their opinions close to their chests about Egypt's unrest, but its media is not... Newspaper headlines talking about a so-called New Middle East and reports that Israel has asked European and US leaders to support President Hosni Mubarak's regime... For Israel, maintaining the status quo of its largest neighbor is a key strategic interest. It means the continuation of a 30 year old peace agreement, a quiet border with the Gaza strip, and as close as Israel can get to a friend in the Middle East...
Info/Video posted on YouTube by AlJazeeraEnglish
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* I’ll end today’s post with this interesting read I ran across by John R. Bradley on the Daily Mail website. Click it out at link below...
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AubreyJ.........

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