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Suleiman. To replace Mubarak?
Photo: Reuters
Mubarak. 'Welcomed national consensus'
Photo: AP

VP: Egypt has plan for power transfer

Suleiman says 'clear road map has been put in place with a set timetable to realize the peaceful and organized transfer of power.' Government won't pursue protestors who have been demanding President Mubarak step down immediately, he adds

Egypt has a plan and timetable for the peaceful transfer of power, the vice president said on Tuesday, adding that the government will not pursue protesters who have been demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down now.

 

"The president welcomed the national consensus, confirming that we are putting our feet on the right path to getting out of the current crisis," Vice President Omar Suleiman said after a briefing with the president on the national dialogue meeting.

 

"A clear road map has been put in place with a set timetable to realize the peaceful and organized transfer of power," he said in comments broadcast on state television.

 

So far the government has conceded little ground in the talks. The embattled 82-year-old president, who has promised to stand down when his term expires in September, appears to be weathering the storm engulfing Egypt, at least for the moment.

 

Negotiations that brought together the government and opposition factions took place this week under the gaze of a giant portrait of Mubarak.

 

"The president welcomed the national consensus, confirming that we are putting our feet on the right path to getting out of the current crisis," Suleiman said in comments broadcast by state television, after briefing Mubarak on the talks.

 

It is still unclear who will replace Mubarak as president, but the WikiLeaks website revealed Monday night that Suleiman was Israel's preferred candidate for the job.

 

According to American documents published by British newspaper Telegraph, some of the documents were written in 2008, when the president's son, Gamal Mubarak, was still seen as the person with the highest chances to succeed his father.

 

The tight relations between Suleiman and Egyptian officials have been known for years, but the newly revealed documents may embarrass Suleiman in the Arab world while he heads the Mubarak regime's negotiation talks with the opposition organizations, on the backdrop of anti-government protests in the country.

 

After Mubarak's Egypt has been accused of cooperation with Israel against Hamas, the documents present more proof that the Egyptians – led by Suleiman – sought to tighten the blockade imposed on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

 

The diplomatic cables, sent from the US embassies in Cairo and Tel Aviv, reveal the close cooperation between Suleiman, the United States and the Israeli government, as well as diplomats' great interest in President Mubarak's likely successors.

 

David Hacham, a senior Defense Ministry advisor, is quoted in the documents as telling the American diplomats at the Tel Aviv embassy that a delegation led by Defense Minister Ehud Barak had been impressed by Suleiman. According to the memos, Hacham was "shocked" by Mubarak's "aged appearance and slurred speech."

 

Ynet contributed to this report

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 02.08.11, 12:34
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