Egypt's VP to Protesters: We're Losing Patience

Warning comes on huge day of protest at Tahrir Square
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 8, 2011 7:27 PM CST
Egypt's VP to Protesters: We're Losing Patience
Thousands of anti-Mubarak protesters shout slogans in Tahrir Square.   (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Let's hope these two developments don't collide in a bad way: On a day when Tahrir Square saw perhaps its largest demonstration yet, the nation's new vice president issued what both AP and al-Jazeera described as a "sharply worded" statement that the government is losing its patience. "We can't bear this for a long time, and there must be an end to this crisis as soon as possible," said Omar Suleiman. At another point, he said there will be "no ending of the regime."

Speaking with newspaper editors, Suleiman also raised eyebrows in his call for dialogue by noting that the alternative "is that a coup happens, which would mean uncalculated and hasty steps, including lots of irrationalities. We don't want to reach that point, to protect Egypt." Pressed on the issue, however, he said he didn't mean a military coup or the imposition of military rule. The government doesn't "want to deal with Egyptian society with police tools," he said.
(More Egypt protests stories.)

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