Protesters Gather For Mubarak Speech

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ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, host:

And I'm Melissa Block.

Tonight in Egypt: Shock and outrage after a day of mass celebration anticipating the end of the Mubarak regime.

(Soundbite of crowd chatter)

SIEGEL: In Cairo's Tahrir Square, protesters reacted to the speech by President Hosni Mubarak. All day he had been expected to step down, but instead he declared his intention to continue to shoulder what he called his responsibility. At the same time, he suggested some powers would be transferred to his vice president, Omar Suleiman. He said also that Egypt's emergency law would only be lifted once there is stability and security. And he sent a defiant message to the world.

President HOSNI MUBARAK (Egypt): (Through Translator) And I cannot and will not accept to be dictated orders from outside, no matter what the source is and no matter what the excuses or justifications are.

BLOCK: NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro joins us now from Tahrir Square. Lourdes, describe the atmosphere there now after this defiant message tonight from President Mubarak.

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, it went from absolute jubilance, when they were expecting that Hosni Mubarak was going to step down, and I can tell you that right now, there is a deep despondency that's settled over the square and a great deal of anger.

Melissa, I'm here with a protester. His name is Karim Kandil(ph). He came from Alexandria today. He's 22 years old and an engineer. And here he is.

BLOCK: Mr. Kandil, welcome to the program. You were expecting to hear President Mubarak step down tonight, announce his resignation?

Mr. KARIM KANDIL (Engineer): Well, that's true. There have been rumors going around all day that the military council is planning to - apparently - to maybe take over, at one point. They have announced what they called statement one, where they announced that they are standing with the people's demand, with the people's demands.

And then, President Mubarak came out. Apparently, there have been rumors also flying around but a conflict between the military council and Mubarak and Omar Suleiman. But apparently, Mubarak eventually came out with the decision, the very disappointing decision that he will not step down. He will provide Omar Suleiman with some authority - not complete authority. He will not step down, I repeat.

But he will provide him some of his authorities that are not acceptable completely to the people's demands. The people demand for Mubarak to stand down, and now they demand his trial for the crimes he committed against the 300 martyrs that have died throughout the last two weeks here in Egypt.

BLOCK: What happens, do you think, Mr. Kandil, to that anger that you're expressing right now toward President Mubarak?

Mr. KANDIL: Well, there have been some calls to head out to the presidential palace. However, there have been other calls to calm people down and have them stand their ground here at Tahrir Square. This is our ground and we're going to stand it. We're not going to leave. Tomorrow, more protesters are probably going to join in, in different squares in Cairo and all over the country, to demand that Mubarak should step down once and for all, and have him tried for the crimes he has committed.

BLOCK: Karim Kandil, one of the protesters there in Cairo's Tahrir Square, thank you very much for talking us.

Mr. KANDIL: Yeah, thank you. Thank you very much.

BLOCK: And Lourdes, just one last question. We just heard, you know, expressions of the anger and extreme disappointment among the protesters. You've been covering this now for a couple of weeks for us. Where do you see this headed after this buildup of anticipation and then this letdown tonight?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: My God, Melissa, I have absolutely no idea. You know, it is a roller coaster of emotions. People here just felt so much anticipation that finally their demands were being met, this sense of impending crisis, and then all of a sudden, again, disappointed by Hosni Mubarak, who said, quite frankly, that he was not going to go quietly.

You know, he tried to concede a few things, but people here are not satisfied. There was a roar of fury from the crowd, and everyone that I've spoken to here says tomorrow's protests will be bigger and possibly even they will go to the presidential palace. And they're warning that if they try and do that, it may indeed be a bloodbath.

BLOCK: You're hearing fears that there would be a military crackdown on the protests.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: There's certainly that fear that there would be a military crackdown on the protesters. I mean, this is a very volatile situation. You have an enormous populace here, very angry, very frustrated, demanding their rights and not - and feeling that they're not having them met.

And you have the military here on the streets who wants to maintain - and you have the military here that wants to maintain some kind of control. If they try to march on the presidential palace, where we believe Hosni Mubarak is holed up, who knows what the result will be. At least, that's the fear of the protesters.

BLOCK: OK. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Thanks so much.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You're welcome.

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