Military Concessions Fail to End Egypt Unrest

Local Editor

Egyptian protesters remained in streets, refusing to halt rallies despite concessions offered by the country's ruling military council. The chief of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) delivered a speech saying that the military had no interest in staying in power. He pledged that the presidential election to replace the council as the country's ultimate executive authority would be held before July 2012. Shortly after Tantawi’s speech, tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Tahrir square in Cairo, chanting: “Leave! Leave!", in reference to the SCAF chief. The leader of Egypts military council has become the object of protesters' rage following violence and the slow path to democracy. Tantawi also asserted that parliamentary elections scheduled to start on November 28 would go ahead. He also suggested the possibility of a national referendum on the SCAF's rule that would return the military to its barracks should citizens vote against the council. "We ask for fair elections. We are doing our job in a very special era," Tantawi said. “We do not care who runs for elections and who is elected president and yet we are accused of being biased," he added. The concessions followed four days of protests against army rule that have left 33 dead, many of them allegedly shot by live ammunition, and nearly 2,000 injured throughout the country. The violence that began when riot police violently cleared a small encampment in Tahrir Square on Saturday has hardened protesters' resolve, leading them to call for the immediate formation of a civilian "national salvation" government and the complete abdication of power by the SCAF.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian