Mubarak vows: I won't quit

 

Under-fire ... President Hosni Mubarak

 

HATED Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak vowed to REMAIN in power last night - to the dismay of protesters fighting to end his regime.

Hundreds of thousands crowded into Cairo's Tahrir Square to listen to the unpopular leader's address to the nation.
Despite earlier reports he would stand down, Mubarak stood firm - only offering to hand over some of his powers to his deputy and former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

The county waits ... Tahrir Square before Mubarak's announcement

As he announced he would not bow to the pressure of ongoing mass demonstrations, protesters jeered and waved their shoes - considered a grave insult.
Anti-government activists watched the speech projected on to a giant sheet in the square.
Mubarak paid tribute to the 300 "martyrs" who have been killed in 17 days of protests and said their "blood will not be in vain".

Protests ... demonstrators calling for Mubarak to go

He told a national television audience he was "not embarrassed to listen to the youth of the country" who have angrily demanded he quit over more than two weeks of protests.
But he shamelessly tried to shift attention from himself, claiming the main calls for him to go came from foreign powers.
He said: "The main embarrassment and what I will not accept is to listen to diktats from abroad, whoever it's coming from and on whatever pretext.

Announcement ... Egyptian army commander Hassan al-Roweny addresses protesters

"Egypt is going through difficult times and I cannot allow it to carry on.
"The current situation is not about me, Hosni Mubarak. The reality is about Egypt's president, its father and its sons. All Egyptians are in the same trench.
"Therefore I shall continue with the dialogue that's already started.
"Egypt remains a dear country and I will not leave it until I die on its soil."
Mubarak added that "the country would remain above the individual".

In command ... Egypt's military supreme council attend a meeting on state TV

AP

He reiterated his pledge to not run in elections set for September.
Protesters also chanted "down, down with Hosni Mubarak" and "leave, leave" in rage at the speech.
Mubarak said on Egypt was heading "day after day" to a peaceful transfer of power and he was committed to protect the constitution until that happens.
He did not elaborate on which powers he would delegate to his vice-president.
He has reigned in Egypt for 30 years, and has thousands of supporters in the Muslim country.
His speech last night followed two weeks of massive protests.
Mubarak pleaded for national unity, saying: "Citizens, the priority now is to recover trust among Egyptians and recover trust in our economy and our international reputation.
"The change we have embarked on will carry on. There is no going back to the bad old days."