Hosni Mubarak Has Stepped Down: Announcement by Egyptian Vice President Suleiman
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Vice President Suleiman announces on Egyptian State TV that Hosni Mubarak has stepped down and ceded power to the Egyptian Army.
As Mubarak's resignation is announced, Al Jazeera switches live to Tahrir Square for the crowd's reaction in central Cairo
A Revolution in Making Egypt Mansoura Omar Soliman Announcing Hosni Mubarak's Step Down from presidency!Omar Suleiman Hosni Mubarak announced the resignation from the presidency!
U.S. officials welcome Mubarak resignation
CNN's
worldwide resources are on the ground in Cairo and across Egypt as
Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president of the country. For the
very latest, tune in to CNN Primetime on Friday night starting at 8 ET. Washington
(CNN) -- Top American officials welcomed Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak's decision to step down Friday, but urged all sides in Egypt's
rapidly unfolding political drama to ensure a peaceful transition to
democracy. Vice President Joe Biden said the developments in Cairo
and elsewhere mark a day of "historic" and "dramatic" change. It is a
"pivotal moment in history" after which the future of Egypt -- a
critical U.S. ally in the Middle East -- will be determined by its
people, he said. The U.S. government will continue to insist on a
"set of core principles" in the months ahead, the vice president told
an audience in Kentucky. Violence and intimidation against protesters
remains unacceptable, he said. The universal rights of people "must be
respected" and their "aspirations met." Finally, he said, the transition must be "irreversible" and part of a negotiated path to democracy. "The
United States has largely spoken with one voice," on the Egyptian
revolution and needs to remain politically united in responding to the
change, Biden concluded.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to discuss the developments at 1:30 p.m. ET at the White House. Obama
was in a meeting in the Oval Office when he learned that Mubarak was
stepping down, said Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security
Council. Obama watched television coverage of the events in Egypt for
several minutes afterward, Vietor said. Obama did not talk to
Mubarak or Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman before the
announcement of Mubarak's resignation, according to White House Press
Secretary Robert Gibbs. Moments after the news broke, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, issued a statement urging a peaceful transition. "I
am pleased that President Mubarak has heard and heeded the voice of the
Egyptian people, who have called for change," Reid said. But "it is
crucial that Mubarak's departure be an orderly one and that it leads to
true democracy for Egypt, including free, fair and open elections." He added, "We caution all sides against violence during this transition." Senate
Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Massachusetts,
released a statement calling Mubarak's resignation "an extraordinary
moment for Egypt." But "what happens next will have repercussions
far beyond Egypt's borders," he said. "We know from recent experience
in Gaza that this requires not just elections, but hard work to build a
government that is transparent, accountable, and broadly
representative."' Mubarak's decision to step down is "obviously a
welcome step," a U.S. official involved in the Egypt discussions said
earlier. But now comes "an unpredictable next chapter." The official said CNN Mubarak's decision was "a sign the (Egyptian) military chose society" over the country's longtime ruler. U.S. defense officials were not given any advance warning of Mubarak's resignation and were not sure it would happen. As
the Obama administration began to react, Washington was using a variety
of intelligence assets to see what was happening in Cairo and other
Egyptian cities, CNN has learned. The U.S. military and intelligence
community are using "national technical means" in the sky over Egypt to
gather information about the demonstrations and the deployment of
Egyptian security forces. The phrase "national technical means" is
used by the U.S. government to generally refer to the use of
reconnaissance satellites to gather imagery or signals intelligence. A
senior U.S. official with direct knowledge of the operation confirmed
the intelligence gathering, but declined to be identified because of
the sensitive nature of the matter.
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