CAIRO — Jubilant pro-democracy demonstrators and gun-toting soldiers rode together atop tanks into this capital city’s main square Saturday in an extraordinary show of solidarity, even as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak took steps to engineer a possible transfer of power to one of his closest confidants.
After four days of nationwide battles between protesters and police, the tens of thousands of Egyptians who have taken to the streets to demand an end to Mubarak’s 30-year rule received an unexpected endorsement when the military declined to block their latest rally.
Instead, soldiers flashed peace signs and smiled approvingly as demonstrators chanted “Down with Mubarak!” When protesters attempted to mount one of the tanks, the troops invited more aboard until an entire convoy was covered, leading the crowd to cheer mightily.
It remains to be seen whether Saturday’s gestures reflected a military endorsement of the protesters’ demand or were simply an attempt by commanders to defuse tensions and buy time for Mubarak to consolidate control and put in a plan of succession.
Mubarak, 82, owes much of his authority to the military. On Saturday, he made critical appointments that could signal that he intends to keep power within the security establishment. Most critically, Mubarak for the first time named a vice president — an apparent step toward setting up a successor other than his son Gamal, whom he had appeared to be grooming for the post.
But Mubarak’s pick, intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, is widely despised among demonstrators, who demanded last week the chance to choose a president in national elections.
If Mubarak should resign and hand control to Suleiman, it is unlikely that protesters would be appeased.
Still, success in driving Mubarak from office would be a monumental achievement for a movement that has spread spontaneously across the nation since Tuesday, when Egyptians who have long been accustomed to accepting authority first rose up in full-throated action.
Reverberations extended across the Middle East on Saturday. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia denounced Egypt’s protests for “inciting a malicious sedition.” In Jordan, the leader of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood warned that the unrest would spread across the region to topple leaders allied with the United States. In Yemen, a small anti-government protest turned violent as demonstrators clashed with security forces.
In Washington, a White House spokesman said President Barack Obama was receiving frequent updates from his national security staff.
After the president and his advisers met early Saturday afternoon in the Situation Room, Obama, through a description of the session issued by the National Security Council, again urged Mubarak to refrain from violence against the protesters and to support “concrete steps” that advanced political reform within Egypt.
According to senior administration officials at the meeting, Obama warned that any overt effort by the United States to insert itself into easing Mubarak out, or easing a successor in, could backfire.
“He said several times that the outcome has to be decided by the Egyptian people, and the U.S. cannot be in a position of dictating events,” said a senior administration official, who would not speak for attribution because of the delicacy of the discussions.
Led by a series of three strong- armed rulers since 1952, Egypt has no experience with genuine democracy, and it is unclear who would triumph in a fair and free election.
The protests have had no visible central leadership from any individual or organization. While the Muslim Brotherhood is the nation’s largest opposition party, analysts say it has the support of a minority of Egyptians.
Protesters during this past week have been noticeably secular, saying they do not want Islamic law imposed after years of living under Mubarak’s emergency rule, and the Muslim Brotherhood has played only a marginal role in the demonstrations.
A successful democratic movement in Egypt probably would have far-reaching implications across the Middle East, which is dominated by unelected autocrats but which has long taken its political and cultural cues from Cairo. Since Tunisians ousted their longtime dictator this month, imitators have sprung up across the Arab world.
Police have used tear gas, water cannons and live bullets to disperse protesters, and on Saturday, authorities said at least 74 have died in the demonstrations. It was not possible to verify the casualties.
But the police pulled back Friday night as the army rolled in. With soldiers under apparent orders to allow the protests to proceed, Saturday’s demonstrations were far more orderly than on any previous day.
“This is freedom,” said Abdel Nasser-Awad, a 40-year-old businessman. “Now we know Mubarak will leave. The only question is when.”
The New York Times and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Other developments
Looting: Cairo residents boarded up homes and set up neighborhood watches of residents armed with guns, clubs and knives Saturday as looting and violence engulfed the capital. Residents reported gangs of youths, some on motorbikes, roaming the streets, looting supermarkets, shopping malls and stores.
Air travel: Thousands of passengers were stranded at Cairo’s airport as flights were canceled or delayed. The cancellation of flights and the arrival of several largely empty aircraft appeared to herald an ominous erosion of key tourism revenue.
Businessmen flee: Nineteen private jets carrying families of wealthy Egyptian businessmen with ties to the Mubarak family left Cairo late Saturday, most of them bound for Dubai, an airport official said.
U.S. protests: Protesters in Egypt were joined Saturday by relatives and supporters in major American cities. Protesters gathered in Chicago, San Francisco, outside the United Nations complex in New York City and in front of the Egyptian embassy in Washington.
CU students abroad: Larry Bell, director of the Office of International Education at the University of Colorado, said four students are enrolled in an exchange program in Egypt, and the university where they are studying is on the outskirts of Cairo. Haytham Bahoora, a CU assistant professor of Arabic studies, said the students will be safe if they do not involve themselves in the protests.
Denver Post wire services
