20:00 Tahrir Square responds to Field Marshal Tantawi's address to the nation with booming chants of "The people demand the removal of the field marshal" and "Down, down with military rule."
19:46 The field marshal comes on state TV to deliver his much-anticipated address. Here is a breakdown of what Egypt's ruler has to say in response to four days of protests despite the Ministry of Interior's continued deadly crackdown on Egyptians:1. Tribute to the deaders of January 25 Revolution.
2. Egyptian Army protects the will of the Egyptian people.
3. The Army has been patient in dealing with multiple attempts to smear its reputation and patriotism over the last few months.
4. The Army has not shot one bullet at an Egyptian citizen
5. The Army will never stand in opposition to the Egyptian people.
6. The Army's main goal since February has been to bring back a sense of security to the Egyptian street.
7. The Army tried to stand behind the police force, which protects the Egypt people.
8. The Army and the goverment have been steadfast in protecting the national interests and what's best for the country under very harsh conditions.
9. The Army continuosly consulted with all political forces in the country and never made any unilateral decisions during this transistional period.
10. The Army attempted to facilitate the birth of a new democratic age in the history of Egypt.
11. The SCAF never wavered in its support of holding parliamentary elections and handing power to a civilian administration.
12. We stopped referring civilians to military trials based on the wishes of our people.
13. Some continued to doubt the honest intentions of the SCAF. Many continued to instigate divisions between the Army and the people.
14. We are not interested in holding a monopoly over power in Egypt.
15. We are committed to defending the national interests of this nation.
16. We have accepted the resignation of Essam Sharaf's government and I have directed the outgoing Cabinet to continue fulfilling their obligations until a new cabinet is formed.
17. We reiterate our commitment to holding parliamentary and presidential elections no later than June 2012. We will hand over power to a civilan administration, should the people so wish it.
19:05 Thousands of protesters have gathered in front of Alexandria's Northern District military command to march towards the Alexandria police directorate. |