Live blog 30/1 - Egypt protests | Al Jazeera Blogs

Live blog 30/1 - Egypt protests | Al Jazeera Blogs

Live blog 30/1 - Egypt protests

By Al Jazeera Staff in

Middle East

on January 29th, 2011.

An Egyptian army soldier gestures to a crowd in Cairo [Reuters]

From our headquarters in Doha, we keep you updated on all things Egypt, with reporting from Al Jazeerastaff in Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez.

Live Blog: Friday / Saturday / Sunday

Anger in Egypt spotlight page / AJE Live Stream / Timeline / Photo Gallery / AJE Tweets

(All times are local in Egypt.)

11:54pm In an Open Letter to President Obama, a large group of well-reputed American academics calls for the US leader to demand swift change in Egypt:

For thirty years, our government has spent billions of dollars to help build and sustain the system the Egyptian people are now trying to dismantle. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Egypt and around the world have spoken. We believe their message is bold and clear: Mubarak should resign from office and allow Egyptians to establish a new government free of his and his family’s influence. It is also clear to us that if you seek, as you said Friday 'political, social, and economic reforms that meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people,' your administration should publicly acknowledge those reforms will not be advanced by Mubarak or any of his adjutants.

11:33pm Xeni Jardin at boingboing provides a useful list of online resources to track coverage of Egypt.

11:28pm One of our Al Jazeera correspondents in Cairo reports in 'No to Suleiman, no to Shafik':

Hosni Mubarak hasn’t succeeded in mollifying anti-government demonstrators with two new appointments....Demonstrators in Tahrir were deeply divided, though, about which of Egypt’s other leading politicians they did support. A few mentioned Ayman Nour, the once-jailed leader of the Ghad party who held a rally in downtown Cairo last night...Egyptian television, meanwhile, said little about the demonstrations. The focus is mostly on security...

11:05pm Egyptian demonstrators remain in Tahrir Square, in defiance of extended military curfew. Our correspondents continue to provide coverage of the protests in several cities, and we'll be updating with more multimedia soon.

10:37pm Opposition leaders are saying that negotiations will not be conducted with Mubarak but with the army, which maintained a heavy presence throughout the country on Sunday. Protesters are still calling for the resignation of the president. Maajid Nawaz, executive director of the Quilliam Foundation, tells Al Jazeera that Mubarak is a liability to Western allies and to his political friends within Egypt.

9:52pm Local Egyptian television reports police redeployments in certain Cairo neighborhoods. Our staff is on its way to investigate. As it remains difficult for Al Jazeera to provide video, listen to the most recent of our Cairo audio reports:

9:46pm Will a new vice president and cabinet bring about true change in Egypt? Comment here.

9:22pm Egypt's army is to extend the nationwide curfew from 3pm to 8am starting on Monday, says Egyptian state TV.

9:08pm Reports say that funerals for victims of recent violence have turned into protests in coastal Alexandria, where several police stations have already been torched and demonstrators continue to defy nationwide curfew.

8:53pm The Muslim Brotherhood continues to call for all opposition groups to unite and has said that they'll support Mohamed ElBaradei as the lead opposition negotiator. The Brotherhood has also said that Hosni Mubarak is responsible for the current Egyptian political mess.

8:35pm Because of the widespread internet cuts, one of our Al Jazeera correspondents just managed to post photos from last night's protests in Cairo:

8.27pm An Al Jazeera correspondent says that protesters at Tahrir Square have spelled “Down w/ Mubarak” with their bodies. He also reported that bringing down the Mubarak government remains the main demand of the movement.

8:20pm Media blogger Jeff Jarvis writes that US cable companies should begin carrying Al Jazeera English:

What the Gulf War was to CNN, the people’s revolutions of the Middle East are to Al Jazeera English. But in the U.S., in a sad vestige of the era of Freedom Fries, hardly anyone can watch the channel on cable TV. Cable companies: Add Al Jazeera English NOW!

It is downright un-American to still refuse to carry it. Vital, world-changing news is occurring in the Middle East and no one–not the xenophobic or celebrity-obsessed or cut-to-the-bone American media–can bring the perspective, insight, and on-the-scene reporting Al Jazeera English can.

7:49pm Tens of thousands of protesters in Mansoura are calling for President Mubarak to step down, and demonstrators continue marching in Alexandria despite the third consecutive nighttime curfew.

7:34pm Al Jazeera reports with audio from Tahrir Square, where crowds have been swirling around former IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

7:21pm Egyptian police are to return to the streets tomorrow, sources have told Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, protesters continue to demonstrate across the country.

7:04pm Al Jazeera reports from Tahrir, where crowds are swirling around former IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

6:59pm ElBaradei is addressing the protesters with bold remarks:

You have taken back your rights and what we have begun cannot go back...We have one main demand -- the end of the regime and the beginning of a new stage, a new Egypt...I bow to the people of Egypt in respect. I ask of you patience, change is coming in the next few days...

6:26pm Mohamed ElBaradei has joined protesters at Tahrir Square in central Cairo. The Muslim Brotherhood has said that ElBaradei is to negotiate for the opposition.

6:14pm Al Jazeera staff forced to go through multiple checkpoints as they drive through the capital. Listen to audio clips here.

6:12pm AJE has been contacted by friends of Wael Ghonim, head of Google Middle East, who has been missing since last week. His wife is appealing for any information on his whereabouts. Ghonim was guest speaker at the Al Jazeera Forum for Online Journalism & Freedom of Opinion earlier this month.

4:39 pm: Hundreds of judges join the protests in Cairo.

4:25 pm: Ahmed Salah, a protester, was in Tahrir square when the fighter jets flew overhead.

"It was extremely loud; it was very shocking, but then we would turn our victory sign to say we are not scared by their actions. The people were shouting, "Irhal - leave!"

To hear our producer's account of the fighter jets, listen below, or click here to find all of our audio:

4:02 pm: Egyptian television reports the curfew is now in effect.

3:51 pm: At least two military fighter jets fly low over protesters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The sound is deafening, and the jets keep circling in an apparent show of might, our producer reports.

Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnYYUhc4IMQ

3 pm: Al Jazeera's producer in Egypt says reports are circulating that the country's interior minister has been arrested by the army. Hear his report here:

2:30 pm: To protect Al Jazeera's staff on the ground, we're not naming them or identifying their specific locations. Listen to our producer talk about having to relocate the Al Jazeera office here:

2 pm: 'Even President Obama Is Watching Al Jazeera'. Business Insider, citing a post from The Daily Beast, reports Al Jazeera's coverage of the situation in Egypt is being followed at the White House:

"Now, huddled in the big office of their boss—one of the administration policy-makers trying to calibrate the US response to the unfolding drama—the advisers watched Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s first statement. Two television sets were running, one showing CNN and the other a satellite feed from Al Jazeera."

1:35 pm: For more on the closure of the bureau in Cairo, Al Jazeera's producer in the Egyptian capital reports:

Just spoke with staffer at the Cairo bureau. While our correspondent and other staff were out, security forces (not army) entered the office and demanded filming permits and press IDs. They were told that all the recently arrived staff hadn't had time to get their paperwork in order and so didn't have any. They ordered our bureau staff to take down the camera doing live shots from the balcony and threatened to take it if we didn't. So now we're just showing "latest pictures".

12:47 pm: Death toll rises. Al Jazeera reports 150 protesters killed since Friday in Egypt's demonstrations.

11:48 am: Turkey announces it is sending two Turkish Airlines planes to Egypt on Sunday to evacuate Turkish citizens, the state-run Anatolian news agency quotes embassy officials in Cairo as saying.

11:40 am: Al Jazeera issues a statement denouncing the closure of its bureau in Cairo.

"The Al Jazeera Network strongly denounces and condemns the closure of its bureau in Cairo by the Egyptian government. The Network received notification from the Egyptian authorities this morning.

Al Jazeera has received widespread global acclaim for their coverage on the ground across the length and breadth of Egypt.

An Al Jazeera spokesman said that they would continue their strong coverage regardless:

"Al Jazeera sees this as an act designed to stifle and repress the freedom of reporting by the network and its journalists. In this time of deep turmoil and unrest in Egyptian society it is imperative that voices from all sides be heard; the closing of our bureau by the Egyptian government is aimed at censoring and silencing the voices of the Egyptian people.

"Al Jazeera assures its audiences in Egypt and across the world that it will continue its in-depth and comprehensive reporting on the events unfolding in Egypt. Al Jazeera journalists have brought unparalleled reporting from the ground from across Egypt in the face of great danger and extraordinary circumstances. Al Jazeera Network is appalled at this latest attack by the Egyptian regime to strike at its freedom to report independently on the unprecedented events in Egypt."

11:27 am: Al Jazeera's Evan Hill, tweeting from Cairo, says: Several aspects of the apparent government shutdown of AJ remain unclear. We're all waiting now.

10:55 am: Al Jazeera's correspondent Dan Nolan and web producer Evan Hill say Egyptian state television report that Egyptian authorities have ordered the Al Jazeera Arabic offices in Cairo closed and have suspended its correspondents' accreditations.

"The team watched the announcement go out live on Nile TV. They said ... broadcasting license and press credentials are being revoked," Hill reported from Cairo.

10 am: Sunday is the start of the work week in Egypt, but as Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports, things in Cairo are "a long way from business as usual".

He says authorities are placing new military roadblocks on Galaa street in Cairo, blocking traffic from going through to the Corniche that runs along the Nile river. "Still a very tense scene with military everywhere," he says.

Later, he reports that witnesses have told Al Jazeera that the military has begun moving in on the streets of the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El Sheikh to protect tourist areas.

"What makes this so significant is that this is in the Sinai Peninsula. Under the terms of the Camp David accord, a peace treaty signed between Israel and Egypt, there was to be complete restrictions on any military ever entering the Sinai. It was always that the security in the Sinai could only ever be handled by police forces. This would indicate that police are no longer doing their job in the Sinai peninsula."

9:27 am: Making the rounds on the social networking site Facebook is an album compiled by user Leil-Zahra Mortada, who is collecting photos of women in the Egypt protests.

She calls it a "homage to all those women out there fighting, and whose voices and faces are hidden from the public eye!"


The protests in Cairo brought men, women and youth to the streets [AFP]

8:18 am: Salma ElTarzi, a protestor in Cairo, tells Al Jazeera by telephone that she and other demonstraters have been subject to "brutal violence" from police.

"We've been seeing atrocities and what's more important is the withdrawal of police. On the 28th midday, they were brutally bombing us with tear gas, with live bullets. My brother was shot with a shotgun. There was blood everywhere. Suddenly, after all this violence, police started retreating for no apparent reason."

Despite the violence, ElTarzi said she will be back on the streets today.

"We will be back on the streets everyday until he (Mubarak) leaves and until we choose who is going to follow."

7:30 am: The social networking site Twitter is abuzz with reaction to a comedic spoof of the Egypt crisis on the US sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL).

SNL comedian Fred Armisen impersonates Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president, saying:

"[My people] love me. They are upset because the internet is down.

"I'm willing to take the following steps to show I'm willing to change. Number 1: I'm firing my cabinet. Number 2, I'm hiring a new cabinet, made up of members of my fired cabinet."

Twitter user FR_INC‎ writes: "Egypt still too much of an open wound to be satirizing with a Mubarak impersonator on SNL, no?"

But user LizzieCady‎ disagrees, tweeting: "No, making fun of #Mubarak on SNL was not "too soon"--Americans need to know what an idiot he is."

7:09 am: Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from just outside the port city of Suez, says protests are expected to continue there today.

"The interesting thing will be the dynamic between the military and the civilians. What we were witnessing on Saturday was a cordial atmosphere between the military and the people - the people were bringing them tea and eating and drinking with them inside their tanks.

"But as the curfew was being imposed it became a lot more tense. We could see military personnel arresting some of the protesters. It really shows the delicate situation the military is in here."

6:18 am: Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, reporting from Cairo, said the streets seemed safe, and relatively empty early in the morning.

"I was able to see a few hundred people or so in the main square, Tahrir Square. The police have just disappeared. Any security at this stage is in the hands of the army. Vigilantes have been taking to the streets to prevent looting - we've been hearing stories of widespread looting across many cities. But at the moment, very very quiet here in Cairo."

5:00 am: Al Jazeera's correspondents in the Americas report from Egypt solidarity protests in Toronto, Canada; Washington, DC; Los Angeles, California; and at the United Nations in New York. Demonstrations also took place in the US city of Chicago, Illinois.

Protesters filled the streets of downtown Chicago [Photo provided courtesy of Facebook user Salma Al-Shami]

3:10am Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports that the United States will have to review its aid policy towards Egypt following the violent protests across the country. Culhane says that there is a sense of excitement among Egyptians in the US who never expected to see the Mubarak government so close to collapse.

3:08am Former Minister Mustafa Al Gindi, a former member of Egypt's parliament, from the opposition Wafd political party tells Al Jazeera that Egyptians want democracy and this is the only plausible way forward for the country.

2:24am Cairo residents say that the military is guarding only certain areas of the city and seen as unable to provide protection for citizens. The army's role is seen as critical.

1:30am Tourists have been warned by many governments to stay away from Egypt, but travelers are not yet being evacuated. Meanwhile, protesters continue to defy the overnight curfew in several Egyptian cities.

1:22am Ayman Mohyeldin tweets: "shift of mood from celebratory 2 tense as night fell & absence of security on streets created problem 4 law & order".

12:45am Tunisia remains unstable, Egypt is on the brink, and pro-Western Arab countries such as Jordan and Yemen remain vulnerable to escalating anti-government protests over high unemployment, rising prices and political repression. View our interactive slideshow from demonstrations across the region -- The Domino effect: Pan-Arab unrest.

12:34am Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Doha Center tells Al Jazeera that the outlook is poor for stock markets in the Middle East and elsewhere, as Egypt uncertainty continues. He mentions an over 10 per cent drop in Egypt's index on Thursday and the largest one-day decline in the NYSE for the past six months on Friday.

12:32am Reports say that 19 Egyptian businessmen on private jets arrived in Dubai after leaving Cairo's airport.

Related articles

• Al-Jazeera live blog of Egyptian protests (americablog.com)
• Protests continue in Egyp as officials close Al-Jazeera bureau in Cairo (americablog.com)
• Egypt Orders Al Jazeera To Shut Down (huffingtonpost.com)
• Al Jazeera told to shut down in Egypt, signal cut (reuters.com)
• Egyptian Government Moves To Shut Down Al-Jazeera (outsidethebeltway.com)
• Al Jazeera told to shut down in Egypt, signal cut (windsorstar.com)
• Live Blog: Egypt in Crisis, Day Six (cbsnews.com)
• BREAKING: Egypt Shuts Down Al Jazeera's Cairo Bureau. Will They Stay Or Go? (crooksandliars.com)
• Egypt says to shut down Al Jazeera operations (reuters.com)
• Egypt Shuts Down Al Jazeera Bureau (dvorak.org)

Egypt tense after night of unrest - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Egypt tense after night of unrest - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Egypt tense after night of unrest

Protesters camp out overnight at Cairo's Tahrir Square, while ordinary citizens battle looters in their neighbourhoods. Last Modified: 30 Jan 2011 08:36 GMT Email Article Print Article Share Article Send Feedback

Protesters have said the president's cabinet reshuffle is not enough, and that he must leave office [GALLO/GETTY] Egyptians have woken up to another tense day following a night of turmoil, when looters roamed the streets in the absence of police who had melted away after being unable to cope with unprecedented anti-government protests. Several key buildings in the capital, Cairo, continue to smoulder on Sunday morning, and thousands of protesters calling for the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, remain camped out in the city's Tahrir Square. Main roads in the capital have now been blocked by military tanks and armoured personnel carriers. In pictures: 'Day of Anger' Update: Egypt protests Unrest in social media Debate: First Tunisia, now Egypt? Can Egyptians revolt? Egypt’s protests on Twitter Pictures: Anger in Egypt Reporting from Cairo on Sunday, Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan said it is a "long way from business as usual" in the Egyptian capital on the first working day since protests peaked on Friday. He said that extra military roadblocks have been set up in an apparent attempt to divert traffic away from Tahrir Square, which has been a focal point for demonstrators. "It's still a very tense scene to have so much military in the capital city of the country." Earlier in the morning, Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, also in Cairo, reported that the city appeared deserted in the early hours. "The streets are very dirty, there is debris everywhere. The police have just disappeared. Any security at this stage is in the hands of the army." The absence of police has given looters a free rein, forcing ordinary citizens to set up neighbourhood patrols. "Vigilantes have been taking to the streets to try and prevent people from looting. We're hearing stories of widespread looting across many cities ... [local neighbourhood patrols] haven't been very effective," Dutton added. Nolan added that there are frequent reports of the police being complicit in the looting. According to Dina Magdi, an eyewitness, unidentified men on Sunday came out of the interior ministry compound in a car and dumped a body on a street. They then opened fire on people present in the area and fled. There were no immediate reports of casualties in that attack. 'Chaotic' scenes Al Jazeera's sources have indicated that the military has now also been deployed to the resort town of Sharm el Shaikh. Sherine Tadros, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the city of Suez, said the city had witnessed a "completely chaotic night", but that the streets were quiet as day broke. IN VIDEO Citizens are forming neighbourhood patrols in several cities to protect their property She reported that in the absence of police and military, people were "tak[ing] the law into their own hands", using "clubs, batons, sticks, machetes [and] knives" to protect their property. "People are trying to get back to normal, but of course this is anything but," she said, adding that as the day wore on, the military had set up several checkposts in an attempt to "show people that they are here and ... will provide some kind of security". Rawya Rageh, our correspondent in the port city of Alexandria, reported similar scenes, saying that people were particularly concerned about their personal safety and that of their property. Amid the chaos, there were indications that protests seeking Mubarak's resignation would continue. Dutton said that protesters are unlikely to stop demonstrating across the country, as they "want one thing, and one thing only: they want the leadership to go". International pressure Meanwhile, global powers have urged Mubarak to refrain from violence against unarmed protesters and to work to create conditions for free and fair elections. The US told Mubarak on Saturday that it was not enough simply to "reshuffle the deck" with a shake-up of his government and pressed him to make good on his promise of genuine reform. "The Egyptian government can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said in a message on Twitter after Mubarak fired his government but made clear he had no intention of stepping down. "President Mubarak's words pledging reform must be followed by action," Crowley said, echoing Obama's appeal on Friday for Mubarak to embrace a new political dynamic. The army has been deployed to maintain order in the absence of security forces [Reuters] In a statement released in Berlin on Saturday, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany said they were "deeply worried about the events in Egypt". "We call on President Mubarak to renounce any violence against unarmed civilians and to recognise the demonstrators' peaceful rights," the joint statement said. "We call on President Mubarak to begin a transformation process that should be reflected in a broadly based government, as well as free and fair elections." The European trio appealed to Mubarak to respond to his people's grievances and take steps to improve the human rights situation in the country. "We recognise the balanced role that President Mubarak has played for many years in the Middle East. We call on him to adopt the same moderate approach to the current situation in Egypt," the statement said. "Human rights and democratic freedom must be fully recognised, including freedom of expression and assembly, and the free use of means of communication such as telephone and internet." The Gulf Cooperation Council, a loose economic and political bloc of states in the Arabian Gulf, said on Sunday that it wanted a "stable Egypt". "We are looking for a stable Egypt and hoping things will be restored soon," Abdulrahman al-Attiyah, the GCC's secretary general, said on the sidelines of a Malaysian investment forum. He also downplayed concerns about the possible economic fallout of the unrest. Key appointments The international messages came hours after Mubarak appointed the country's head of intelligence to the post of vice-president, in a move said to be a reaction to days of anti-government protests in cities across the country. Omar Suleiman, Egypt's chief spy, was sworn in on Saturday, marking the first time Mubarak has appointed a vice-president during his 30-year rule. Ahmad Shafiq, a former air force commander, was appointed prime minister. The appointments, however, failed to satisfy protesters. Tens of thousands of people continued to rally in the capital Cairo on Saturday, demanding an end to Mubarak's presidency. Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from the capital, said that soldiers deployed to central Cairo did not intervene in the protests. Similar crowds gathered in the cities of Alexandria and Suez on Saturday, Al Jazeera's correspondents reported. More than a 100 people have been killed in the violence since Friday.

Related articles

• Where to Watch the Egyptian Unrest Online (gigaom.com)
• Al Jazeera English Live for iPhone [AppOfTheDay] (gizmodo.com)
• Global pressure on Egypt's Mubarak grows (laobserved.com)
• Al Jazeera English shines as communications cut in Egypt (lostremote.com)
• Egyptian Uprising and the Middle East + Egyptian police hold fire during prayer (dandelionsalad.wordpress.com)
• As Egypt Erupts, Al Jazeera Offers Its News for Free to Other Networks (alexisohanian.com)
• YouTube, Flickr Show Escalating Violence in Egyptian Protests (mashable.com)
• Tonight in Egypt (laobserved.com)
• The Lede: Latest Updates on Protests in Egypt (thelede.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Deadly Political Unrest Continues In Egypt (npr.org)

Western powers push Mubarak to fulfill vows, call for 'free' elections - CNN.com

Western powers push Mubarak to fulfill vows, call for 'free' elections - CNN.com

Western powers push Mubarak to fulfill vows, call for 'free' elections

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 29, 2011 9:02 p.m. EST

Demonstrators rally in front of the White House in support of protesters in Egypt.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: In an interview to air Sunday, U.K. leader calls Mubarak a 'friend of Britain'
• NEW: Cameron says of Egypt: "We support ... reform, not revolution"
• The heads of Germany, France, U.K. call for reforms and respect for rights
• A U.S. State Departmentofficial says Mubarak must not just "reshuffle the deck"

(CNN) -- Several Western powers banded together Saturday in urging Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to do all he can to prevent bloodshed and speedily fulfill his promises of reform.

The heads of England, France and Germany joined their counterpart in the United States on Saturday in calling on Egypt's leader to institute substantive policy changes in short order as well as new, open elections.

"It is essential that the further political, economic and social reforms President Mubarak has promised are implemented fully and quickly, and meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people," said a joint statement issued by British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"The Egyptian people have ... a longing for a just and better future," the statement continued. "We urge President Mubarak to embark on a process of transformation, which should be reflected in a board-based government and in free and fair elections."

Egypt protests in US

Ban Ki-moon on Egypt

CNN iReporter tells Egypt story

RELATED TOPICS

• Egypt
• Diplomacy
• U.S. Department of State

Acknowledging the "moderating role" played by Mubarak in the Middle East, the Western leaders urged him to "show the same moderation" in Egypt and allow people to demonstrate peacefully. They also called for "full respect for human rights and democratic freedoms, including freedom of expression and communication."

Meanwhile, Washington continued Saturday to keep up pressure on the Egyptian leader, on the same day he announced a new deputy, among other Cabinet changes.

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley tweeted that the Egyptian government "can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat." He added that Mubarak's "words pledging reform must be followed by action."

"With protesters still on the streets" in Egypt, he wrote, "we remain concerned about the potential for violence and again urge restraint on all sides."

The people of Egypt "no longer accept the status quo," Crowley added. "They are looking to their government for a meaningful process to foster real reform."

President Barack Obama had said Friday that he had spoken with Mubarak after the Egyptian president made a televised speech. Mubarak, in his address, said he understands "these legitimate demands of the people and I truly understand the depth of their worries and burdens, and I will not part from them ever and I will work for them every day."

Obama said he told Mubarak "he has a responsibility to give meaning to those words, to take concrete steps and actions that deliver on that promise."

"Violence will not address the grievances of the Egyptian people," Obama said in a televised appearance Friday. "Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away."

Members of Obama's diplomatic and national security teams, including Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held a two-hour discussion on Egypt Saturday morning, according to White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.

Obama himself convened a similar meeting on the situation in the early afternoon.

In an interview conducted Friday morning in Davos, Switzerland, British Prime Minister Cameron told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that "reform and progress in the greater strengthening of democracy and civil rights" is needed in Egypt. The interview will air at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday on the "Fareed Zakaria GPS" program on CNN.

Cameron said "just the act of holding an election isn't enough," urging a "more mature and thoughtful approach" to build a stronger democracy.

He made a point that he didn't think the overthrow of Mubarak -- whom he called "a friend of Britain" -- was necessary.

"What we support is evolution, reform, not revolution," the prime minister said.

"We'd all be better off if there were more countries with more democratic institutions," he added. "But let's recognize those institutions need to be built from the bottom up, not always sort of dropped in from the top down."

Related articles

• Western powers push Mubarak to fulfill vows, call for 'free' elections - CNN (news.google.com)
• Western powers push Mubarak to fulfill vows, call for 'free' elections (cnn.com)
• Egypt in Turmoil: Is an End Game Being Played Out? (time.com)
• Too little, too late as Mubarak sacks cabinet (forexlive.com)
• Opinion: Obama faces critical test (cnn.com)
• Egypt in Turmoil: Is an End Game Being Played Out? (time.com)
• Protesters around the world march against Egypt's Mubarak - CNN International (news.google.com)
• 'Mubarak must fall' - all across Cairo the protesters' message is the same (guardian.co.uk)
• Protesters around the world march against Egypt's Mubarak (cnn.com)
• Egypt: Book Banned by Mubarak Predicted Egyptian Revolution (prweb.com)