Cairo: Hardly had embattled President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday night finished his televised address in which he said he would not seek a new term, when his supporters took to the streets in Cairo to demand him to stay on.
"Hosni Mubarak, you the pilot, don't leave Egypt, lest it would be ruined!" chanted the supporters of Mubarak, who has been in power for 30 years.
Facing unprecedented massive protests, Mubarak, an ex-air force commander, pledged in his address to order constitutional changes limiting terms in power and easing restrictions on running for president - two major demands of the opposition.
Three days earlier, Mubarak, 82, named chief spymaster Omar Sulaiman as vice president, a move he has avoided for the past three decades.
However, the latest gestures have not impressed thousands of anti-Mubarak protesters, who have been camping out in Al Tahrir Square in central Cairo for nine days now. "Leave and go to hell," screamed one protester immediately after Mubarak's face disappeared on a giant screen set up by demonstrators in Al Tahrir Square Tuesday night. "People want the regime to go," other protests joined in a chorus in an apparent refusal of Mubarak's offer not to seek a sixth tenure.
More than two years ago, Mubarak signaled resolve to remain in power "until my last breath". Over recent years, he has been widely believed to groom his younger son, Jamal, a businessman-turned-politician, to succeed him. The current massive protests have obviously turned Mubarak's plans topsy- turvy.
"We, as part of the Egyptian people, demand Mubarak's immediate departure," said Sa'ad Al Katatni, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood. "His promises fall short of meeting people's demands. In addition, they have no guarantees," he added.
In his latest address, Mubarak ordered authorities to take "immediate measures" against what he termed as corrupt. He pledged to ensure smooth transfer of power during the remaining months in office. His current term in office expires next October.
Mubarak's supporters and opponents Wednesday continued to stage demonstrations in different parts of the Egyptian capital, with the army soldiers looking at pains to keep both sides apart.
"I think Mubarak's pledges are rational and realistic," said Yahya Al Jamal, a law professor and an opponent to Mubarak. "They mean that the demands pushed by young protesters over the past few days have been met. The remaining months in his presidency should be seen as a transitional period for Egypt."
Al Jamal, however, demanded Mubarak set up an independent commission.
