Free Republic

A joint statement by Prime Minister David Cameron, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel on the situation in Egypt. Read the statement “We are deeply concerned about the events that we are witnessing in Egypt. We recognise the moderating role President Mubarak has played over many years in the Middle East. We now urge him to show the same moderation in addressing the current situation in Egypt. “We call on President Mubarak to avoid at all costs the use of violence against unarmed civilians, and on the demonstrators to exercise their rights peacefully. “It is essential that the further...

U.S. President Barack Obama Saturday night called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to halt violence against opponents, protect freedoms and introduce reforms, nearly two years after he delivered his “reaching out to Muslim speech in Cairo.” ...Egypt has said it has gained control over near-anarchy that spread throughout the country Saturday night, but the groundswell of support for the opposition threatens the regime of Mubarak and could spark copy cat protests in other Muslim countries. ...“The people of Egypt have rights that are universal. That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to free speech, and the...

President Obama is watching the political crisis in Egypt on a “minute-to-minute basis” and will fight for Egyptians’ rights, White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Friday. "The answer is not tanks in the street,” Axelrod said in an interview with Bloomberg. “The answer is reform." Indicating the careful balance the White House has to strike in dealing with Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak, Axelrod recognized that the U.S. ally has “been helpful on some regional issues,” but that “democratic reforms” are needed.

EVELOPING: Loud explosions and gunfire were heard in the Egyptian capital of Cairo Friday, as protesters demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak defied a curfew, Al Jazeera reported. Egyptian television reports the ruling party headquarters in Cairo are on fire. Read earlier report below: Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters poured into the streets of Egypt Friday, stoning and confronting police who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas in the most violent and chaotic scenes yet in the challenge to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. One protester was killed and even a Nobel Peace laureate was placed...

By MATTHEW LEE and ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Matthew Lee And Erica Werner, Associated Press 12 mins ago .WASHINGTON – Stepping up pressure on a stalwart but flawed Middle East ally, President Barack Obama said he personally told Egypt's Hosni Mubarak Friday night to take "concrete steps" to expand rights inside the Arab nation and refrain from violence against protesters flooding the streets of Cairo and other cities. The White House suggested U.S. aid could be at stake.

The American government secretly backed leading figures behind the Egyptian uprising who have been planning “regime change” for the past three years, The Daily Telegraph has learned. The American Embassy in Cairo helped a young dissident attend a US-sponsored summit for activists in New York, while working to keep his identity secret from Egyptian state police. On his return to Cairo in December 2008, the activist told US diplomats that an alliance of opposition groups had drawn up a plan to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak and install a democratic government in 2011.

The BBC is reporting that Egyptian Army tanks have allegedly surrounded the embassies of the United States and United Kingdom. This comes after Israel evacuated its entire embassy staff via helicopter. This is coming in through their live blog, and further details appear scarce. The BBC is quoting an al-Jazeera cable: 2125: Tanks have surrounded the US and British embassies in Cairo, Al-Jazeera reports. This could be a huge, huge problem. This is similar to 1979 when the Islamic rebels took the US Embassy and held hostages for 444 days.