Hossam Badrawi of Egypt's governing party says the right thing for Mubarak to do is to step aside
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is to make an address on national television shortly, amid suggestions that he is preparing to step down.
A senior member of Egypt's governing party, Hossam Badrawi, has said he does not expect Mr Mubarak to be president on Friday.The country's military, meanwhile, has said it will "support the legitimate demands of the people".
It comes on the 17th day of protests against Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule.
Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square, waving flags and chanting slogans as they await what they hope will be President Mubarak's resignation.
As the light faded over Tahrir Square, an enormous cheer rose up from the assembled throng. The mood, relaxed and festive before, was suddenly euphoric and expectant.
The trigger for the celebrations had been a short appearance by the army chief of staff, Gen Sami Anan, who told the vast crowd that their demands would be met. Tonight, he told a nearby reporter, this will all be over. For the protesters, many of whom had been getting used to the idea that this might be a protracted struggle, it was a stunning surprise.
Night time has come and the air is chilly now in Tahrir Square, but the mood remains buoyant with wild cheering erupting every few minutes.
This could turn out to be a decisive moment in Egypt's winter revolution, but there are still plenty of questions to answer. Even as they celebrate, the protesters wait for the president to make his intentions clear.
The trigger for the celebrations had been a short appearance by the army chief of staff, Gen Sami Anan, who told the vast crowd that their demands would be met. Tonight, he told a nearby reporter, this will all be over. For the protesters, many of whom had been getting used to the idea that this might be a protracted struggle, it was a stunning surprise.
Night time has come and the air is chilly now in Tahrir Square, but the mood remains buoyant with wild cheering erupting every few minutes.
This could turn out to be a decisive moment in Egypt's winter revolution, but there are still plenty of questions to answer. Even as they celebrate, the protesters wait for the president to make his intentions clear.
The euphoric atmosphere spread after an Egyptian army commander told protesters that all their demands would be met, but some are expressing concern that the military could try to seize power.
Doctors, bus drivers, lawyers and textile workers were on strike in Cairo on Thursday, with trade unions reporting walkouts and protests across the country.State TV has shown pictures of Mr Mubarak in his office, holding talks with Vice-President Omar Suleiman.
State news agency Mena says the high council of the armed forces, meeting without Mr Mubarak, is in a state of continuous session "to protect the nation, its gains and the aspirations of the people".
Essam al-Erian, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest opposition group, said he feared that the Egyptian military was staging a coup.
"It looks like a military coup... I feel worry and anxiety," he told Reuters news agency. "The problem is not with the president, it is with the regime."
The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Leon Panetta, said he had received unconfirmed reports that Mr Mubarak would step down on Thursday evening.
President Hosni Mubarak
- Elevated from vice-president when President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981
- Continued Sadat's policy of peace with Israel
- Maintained emergency law for entire presidency
- Won three elections unopposed
- Fourth term secured in 2005 after allowing rivals to stand
- Economic development led many Egyptians to accept continued rule
- Survived 1995 assassination attempt in Ethiopia
- Faced Islamist threat within Egypt, including Luxor massacre of 1997 and Sinai bombings
- Regularly suppressed dissent, protests and political opponents
"I've received reports that, possibly, Mubarak might do that," he told a congressional intelligence hearing. "We have not gotten specific word that he, in fact, will do that."
President Barack Obama, addressing students in Michigan, said: "What is absolutely clear is we are witnessing history unfold. It's a moment of transformation."Mr Mubarak had previously pledged to quit office after presidential elections due to be held in September.
Negotiations between the government and opposition groups have made little progress, with protesters disillusioned by plans for reform put forward by Mr Mubarak's government.
In recent days, the US government had stepped up its call for the protesters' concerns to be addressed.
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