E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSUpdate 3:38 p.m. ET: (Reuters profiles Enan, saying he has "won praise from both the United States and a leading member of the banned Muslim Brotherhood," who said he could be an acceptable successor to Mubarak.)
_____
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Sami Enan, today and was reassured that the Egyptian military would remain "professional and neutral" in dealing with the latest outbreak of violence in Cairo, NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski reports:
U.S. officials tell NBC News the impression is that the Egyptian military is "trying very hard to stay out of the politics" and does not want to "get caught between the anti- and pro-government demonstrators." The expectation is that the Interior Ministry and Egyptian police would take the lead in any efforts to clear Tahrir Square.
That said, the officials aknowledge the U.S has not asked what, if any, action the military intends to take against demonstrators, and the Egyptians have not said.
They stressed that there has been no attempt to suggest, advise or direct the Egyptian government on what actions it should take, except to once again urge restraint.
Leave a Comment:
WHAT! The administration expects the thugs from the Interior Ministry to "clear the square"??
We'd better cut off aid tomorrow, or the President has lost my vote forever.
so let us rationalize....
For this sad chapter to end sooner, a march to the presidential palace makes sense.
Latest information is that he lives in a a hotel that has been converted into a presidential palace.
To make this president ineffectual, it would makse sense to disconnect all roads leading to the palace, the airspace and escape routes thru water to be sealed off.
He should be denied all means to communicate with his supporters and the military in order to limit the damage he could do to the people and the country.
Any building including the presential palace is supplied power, gas, water, tel, cable tv, internet even though it may be relatively secure an self sustaining.
Once such services are disconnected, it is a question of time before Mubarak compromises.
He would then be a virtual prisoner in his own palace.
(there is likely emergency generators powered by gas or oil that may ).
It would make sense for the supporters of the revolt to disconnect all such services to this hotel.