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Egyptian protestors firm on Mubarak's ouster

February 07, 2011 09:16 IST

As the campaign to oust embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak took a decisive turn on Sunday, the protestors don't seem to be satisfied yet.

Shady al-Ghazali Harb, a representative of the youth who started the uprising by calling for a "Day of Rage" on January 25, said they intended to continue demonstrations in Al-Tahrir square until "complete revolutionary changes are made to the regime" atop of which is the removal of President Mubarak who has been in power for almost thirty years.

The effect of the uprising could be sensed in today's talks between Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman and the opposition as for the first time Egypt's ruling regime has entered into any kind of negotiations with the Muslim Brotherhood which has a vast organisational network in the country and is widely expected to fill the political space in a post-Mubarak democratic Egypt.

The vice president also met with six representatives of the youth which the government called "internet kids" only two weeks ago.

The change was also sensed in the state media as the Muslim Brotherhood was mentioned for the first time in a report on the talks earlier on Sunday.

The talks resulted in forming a committee to suggest amendments to the constitution and another for follow-up.

The meeting also took steps to overcome obstacles that face international media attention as well as guarantee for the protestors that they will not be persecuted if they chose to leave the Tahrir Square, the hub of the unrelenting demonstrations against Mubarak's 30-year regime.

According to Shady al-Ghazali Harb the protestors have already divided themselves into shifts as many go to their jobs in the morning and come back to the square at night.

"The government's strategy is to depend on the media to campaign against us and focus on the economic hardships some suffered as a result of the uprise. Our strategy is to keep the people in the square and keep the pressure up on the government", said Harb.

In actualisation of Harb's words by nightfall and curfew time at 7 pm the Square was packed after a long day in which Copts held their Sunday mass jointly by their Muslim brethren for the first time in decades.

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