two sources close to president mubarak told nbc news that mubarak would resign by the end of the day. >> two separate sources told nbc news that egypt's president, hosni mubarak, will step down tonight. >> are there risks in your mind? >> reporter: other news organizations, including arabic media, were told the same, president mubarak would resign by nightfall. >> widely expected to resign, at least those protesters in tahrir square think that's what he's going to do. >> reporter: and make that historic announcement in a speech to the nation. word quickly traveled to tahrir square. crowds of tens of thousands of protesters swelled to hundreds of thousands. the mood was excited, joyous. the army they felt was with them and mubarak would step down soon. as the crowds continued to grow, president mubarak convened his close advisers. state television showed the president meeting vice president omar suleiman and the prime minister. then at 11:00 p.m., several hours late, mubarak finally addressed the nation. his tone didn't sound like a man who was leaving. he said he was speaking to egypt

mubarak. well speculation swirled around the world about what he was going to do, it turned out the politician had spoken him -- spoken to him today and found he was in no mood to quit. it was an interesting reminder how close the two regimes have been in recent years, how well many people in israel no egyptian society. it makes it more interesting that there is so little public comment from jerusalem on an issue of such vital interest to this country, the region, and the wider world. >> earlier, i spoke to a member of the center for american progress. he said the white house was disappointed with the speech. >> the head of the cia expected mubarak to resign. i guess all of the signs they got were that he was going to give this speech and said he was stepping down. obviously, they are disappointed. one good thing that happened in the speech is mubarak said, "i am not going to about to foreign pressure." at least that sends a signal to the egyptian people that the american government are pushin

no way. >> reporter: do you deny that pro-mubarak forces or pro-mubarak loyalists killed protesters inhe square -- >> they behave very well. >> reporter: which they say they won't until president mubarak leaves. what will you do? will you give an order? >> we will call them. we will not use any violence against them. but we will ask them to go home. and we will ask their parents to ask them to come home. >> reporter: but mr. suleiman, there are young people and their parents in that square and they -- >> we will call their grandfathers. >> reporter: and what if they don't leave? how long can you accept their presence in the square. >> unfortunately, there's a big pressure on them to stay. >> reporter: just to make it clear, you will not order the military to evacuate them from the square? >> we will ask them to go home. but we will not push them to go home. >> reporter: never? >> no way. no way. and i hope that they will recognize that they are not doing well for the country. >> reporter: do you believe the young people in the square have legitimate grievances? >> we, of course, looked

grasp of change. >> what we have to appreciate is hosni mubarak has fallen. the house of mubarak. his wife, his son, his other son who razed the economy and unto them has converged all the resentment of the realm. it's really about the dignity of the egyptian people and in many ways take a look at mubarak. he was the accidental successor of anwar sadat and his two great predecessors never entertained a dynastic bid for succession. they feared their country. they respected their country. they knew its history, its tumultuous history. in particular sadat has been in the underground in the '30s and the '40s. there comes hosni mubarak, ten years younger, a man of the military, a secretive man, a cautious man and he takes the society apart. we have to give him credit. and for 30 years there he is and then he offers them a nightmare. the nightmare is his son and they were shamed by tunisia because the egyptians have v the sense of their own primacy in arab life. they never think of the tunisian as big players. they think tunisia is on the outer margins. >> rose: they think egypt is the

these mubarak defenders were allegedly sent by mubarak himself to disburse the demonstrators. egyptian soldiers at first stood by over the violence. soldiers then fired warning shots in the air. but they did not intervene between the cracking factions. thus far in cairo at least eight people have died and 900 injured. here in the united states president obama asked mubarak to abc indicate now. >> what is clear and what i indicated tonight to president mubarak is my belief an orderly transition must be meaningful, egypt's overall military budget. question, president obama urges president mubarak to leave office at once. what is president obama's rational for pushing him over the brink? >> the obama administration got out in front and it got too far out in front, john. all that violence occurred wednesday, the obama administration has been caught flat flood in the tide has begun to turn in favor of the government. mubarak's guys are in the streets, they've indicated they'll fight to defend him. the army stayed neutral. the israelis and saudis came out and said the americans are

mubarak can go from egypt, but nobody can trust him. we totally believe that he will arrest people and that he will play his games again and again. we cannot trust him. >> he has said that he is committed to carrying out political, economic, and social reform. you heard from the army that it is backing the legitimate grievances of the egyptian people. that is not enough of a commitment? >> mubarak said the same thing. the democratic reform five years ago and 10 years ago. the last time, when he was running, he said the same and more than that. we find this disappointing. >> i am sorry. we have to leave it there, but thank you very much for joining us, just one hour after president to host the mark -- president hosni mubarak. we continue our special coverage. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, st

leader to host hosni mubarak.be that's what the white house thinks but is not saying so yet, but instead is talking about an orderly transition. >> the way egypt looks and operates must change. that's why we believe we should increase the amount of freedom that is had by the egyptian people. but that's not for us to determine what the parameters and what the limits of those are. >> the white house can point to past history. president obama called for orderly change when he visited egypt two years ago. but now there's a lot more at stake. egypt has huge strategic importance to the u.s. it controls the suez canal, vital for u.s. navy ships heading to the persian gulf and for world trade. it's the largest arab country and for the americans, it's been a place of stability for 30 years. it was the first to sign a peace treaty with israel which now fears what will come next. so, too, to other key u.s. allies like jordan and saudi arabia. everything depends now on what the egyptian military does next. it relies on americ

mubarak's immediate departure. you're watching bbc news d. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.

mubarak is illegitimate, they shouted. they 18 and another massive show of force. >> see how many people are there? there is no confusion. everybody wants him to leave. whatever happened yesterday, happen for 30 years now. >> with no government of any note, the real debate on the country's future is right here in the square. he said exchanges among protesters. this is democracy at work, but can they now move it from the square to higher institutions of state? throughout the day, the state was occupied by the members of the opposition. the army is with us or is with the regime, they shouted. but tonight, the mood is more one of jubilation. this is the second deposed president in as many months. the repercussions can be felt much wider than egypt's shores. >> the mood of jubilation, as he reported, and it was dramatically different just 24 hours ago when president hosni mubarak addressed the nation, speaking, he said, as a father to his sons and daughters, saying his promise that he would ensure a peaceful and orderly transi

hosni mubarak also has to be careful here. the potential for mob rule, the potential for things to deteriorate so the crowds turn on him personally is considerable. i actually feel that people are playing with fire. egypt today started to move exactly in the direction none of us wanted to see. >> couric: when do you think the army will step up? >> a few more days like today where the situation begins to spiral out of control, and the army essentially either continues to look feckless and weak in the face of the crowd or is forced to use violent means against the demonstrators. i don't believe that's an acceptable choice for this army. so i think sooner rather than later this phase of things needs to come to an end, and i truly hope that the u.s. government is privately communicating this message to the leadership of the army and to the vice president. >> couric: richard haas. richard, thank you so much. as we reported, when violence erupted today, the military did not try to stop it. as elizabeth palmer reports, so far the mil

mubarak stays in power. one other thing i should briefly mentioned to you -- the was a white house briefing earlier and much the white house press secretary robert gibbs spoke of an assassination attempt on the newly appointed vice president. he looked visibly uncomfortable, but he did not deny the report. he said "in not going to deny that question." >> interesting. it was a strong message from barack obama. a stronger message from the streets. we will continue to watch developments. back to you in london. >> lyse doucet in cairo there. mike embley year in london. very good to have you with us. we have a special report from dubai on the life of an egyptian? that trip, asking what this says about the roots of keeping the in uprising in egypt. first though, burma's parliament has named the outgoing prime minister tim finn the first civilian leader of the government. rachel harvey reports from bangkok. >> burma's first civilian president for half a century. but the new man is hardly a radical break with the pa

mubarak also hinted a crackdown could be coming. he stressed his ties to the army, and said egypt must choose between chaos and stability. mubarak said he would die in egypt. the protesters expected much more. the reaction here has been immediate and angry. people saying mubarak must leave now, and there can be no other concessions. many of the demonstrators say the 82-year-old mubarak's concession that he will not stand for another six-year term is no concession at all. >> we want him to leave our country. >> reporter: the demonstrators feel they have momentum, and mubarak on the ropes, after gathering hundreds of thousands of people today in cairo's main tahrir square. earlier in the day the mood was like a carnival. families were out together for the first time. but the protesters are giving mubarak a deadline. the protests today have mostly been peaceful. but demonstrators warn if mubarak doesn't stepdown by friday, they will resume clashes. but who's organizing this revolution? and how do you set up a million strong protests wh

so we should not see a romancization of what the israeli view is of mubarak. mubarak was tough. many times. so israel should watch. they should be careful to see what happens next. but they should not have fear. this is a new day that does provide opportunities for new relationships. >> following events on the streets of cairo, has been watching the celebrations among the crowds near tahir square. >> the young soldiers are still standing. they're here at one of the many entrances to tahir square. but this place is now exploding. [inaudible] they are making their own history tonight. victory of the people of the country. celebration tonight. >> i love my country. and i love the people. and i love the -- many in egypt. i am very happy right now. i am very happy. it fell away. >> well, these are the scenes now in tahir square. protesters calling it the dawn of a new era. it's almost half past 6:00 local time there. and still after friday's historic events. the ejeppings president hosni mubarak -- the egyptian president hosni mubarak resigned following two weeks of protest against h

the call at the day to out president mubarak, their main demand. we will have to wait and see how that unfolds. let's listen to this protester, who is also an oxford university graduate. >> today, the numbers in the square has increased tenfold after what people saw yesterday done by that regime. even those who listened to president mubarak's last speech, were starting to have second thoughts, becoming quite compassionate with the president, they have changed their minds after they saw the horrible scenes that we all saw yesterday and the amount of people who were injured and the amount of people killed by thugs, who is increasingly becoming known now were hired by certain people in the party, even the people in the square who called the thugs. their identities prove they are up from security forces. some protesters tell me they have seen sometimes police officers standing with them. i have not seen it, but some of the protesters have seen that. the regime has lost the trust, really, of the people, after what we saw yesterday happening. >> the army

interestingly, it backfired against the mubarak regime because what mubarak is trying to say was the choice is between chaos and me, civily. then he brings into the street and says see, you need me. and people didn't fall to it. they said you can't bring the chaos and say you're the face of civility. gwen: let's do some comparisons. how is what is happening in egypt different than what we sue in tunisia, yemen, jordan? >> there are some very simple things here. in tunisia they wanted their authoritarian president out and they got him out. in yemen it's not so much about the president. even though the president made a preemptive strike saying he wouldn't run in 2013. but again, it's about poverty and saying we need things. yemen in particular and jordan, there were protests today but yemen in particular, they're very concerned about it because just like egypt and just like tunisia, you just don't know what's going to change that dynamic instantly. >> i've gone back and tried to talk to a couple american officials about what they think triggered events in tunisia and several said they

they are demanding the resignation of mubarak. they say this is the last day of mubarak and his corrupt regime. they are calling it a day of departure. meanwhile mubarak supporters began a counter demonstration in a different part of cairo. they are calling friday a day of allegiance. there are fears of a repeat of violent clashes that killed at least six people and injured more than 800 earlier this week. but with the army surrounding tahrir square, no major incidents have been reported so far. hello and welcome to "newsline." i'm hideshi hara in tokyo. in an exclusive interview, egyptian prime minister shared with us his perspective on the situation. first let's listen to the prime minister's reaction to the story in the "new york times." u.s. and egyptian officials are discussing the immediate resignation of president mubarak. >> translator: as far as i know, there is no such move. but i believe the intentions outlined by president mubarak should be convincing both in terms of the dignity of the egyptian people and their demand

mubarak do now.they say that the president will offer a compromise in the next few days. >> people to understand that it is not a tactic to just let them go home. it is a mind-set change for their protests. >> a referendum on a new constitution could take place within 2.5 months? >> between 60-90 days. >> of the crowds in the square are not chanting mubarak's out in 60-90 days, they want him out now. incidence of serious brutality where a security van rammeed its way through a group of demonstrators have made people more determined than ever to get rid of him. does the president have any other options? the army is a bedrock of the regime. they had their chance when the gang started moving in yesterday, but the soldiers sided with the demonstrators instead. the big danger is that if president mubarak goes away, he will leave a huge power vacuum behind him. what worries western countries is that free and democratic elections might allow the muslim brotherhood to take power here with the possibility the

so mubarak addressed that today. i have to stress that mubarak has been totally outpaced by what has been happening on the streets of egypt. it's very clear that the demonstrations and this million man march today has outpaced both mubarak and the u.s. administration. i think it's imperative that the u.s. administration joins senator kerry and makes it very clear to mubarak that it is now a case of mubarak versus the country of egypt. for the sake of the stability of egypt and its people, mubarak must step down. i think this is absolutely crucial for the obama administration to understand. >> brown: all right. thank you all three very much. >> suarez: now, the story of the winter storm that assaulted the midwest today and pushed toward the northeast. the huge system unleashed a potentially deadly mix of heavy ice, record snow, and high winds. even as the snow had just begun to fall, forecasters and officials were warning people to prepare for the worst. >> this is not something that is sneaking up on us. it's been we

the protestors who insist that hosni mubarak, president of 30 years, must go now and mubarak seemingly increasingly supported by western governments saying no he will remain until elections that were l supposedly be free and fair in which he will not participate in september. >> rose: if he remains, as you say, supported by western governments, does that mean that he will have a nominal role and will not be in a significant place either in terms of power or influence? >> i don't know about that, charlie. he headed the meeting today, omar suleiman, the newly installed vice president, has been mubarak's man for decades now. there's no reason to think that he won't continue to listen to his boss. afrtd and i think the big question hanging over the next several months-- if, indeed, mubarak does remain-- is can a man, can a system that has been about repression in varying degrees for three decades morph into an organization that could somehow prepare an open, free, and fair election. i think there has to be a lot of doubts about that, not least because one of the demands of the opposition,

mubarak at the center of government. people that the demonstrators think are part of the problem, like the vice president. why do you think they'll accept it? >> they will have the option to accept a sort of compromise. >> reporter: but it's hard to believe that many people in this crowd-- as tired as they are-- would buy into any deal that allows hosni mubarak to remain president, even if it's only in name. in fact, the demonstrators, a few thousand of whom are still down there in the square tonight, have called for three more million-person marches next week. katie? >> couric: and, liz, this new power-sharing agreement that you've described between the opposition leaders and the vice president, will hosni mubarak sign on to this? >> that's the big question. he must be under enormous pressure, not only from the army and also his close advisors, but also from the business community. this country has been brought to a standstill by this upheaval and many people are losing millions, if not billions, of dollars a day. he's

president obama told mubarak he has to move quickly. people here do not think he can hang on until september. their primary goal is to see this situation in egypt stabilize and no one thinks that can happen with mubarak still in power, but publicly they're still walking this very fine line. we saw the press secretary, robert gibbs today, stop short of saying that the president had told mubarak directly last night leave office now. >> i'm not going to get into flushing out some of the very specifics of the conversation that was had. i think progress and change must come to cairo. progress and change must come to egypt and it needs to happen quickly. >> i do not think the president could have been clear with the president of egypt last night. >> reporter: and there are ongoing conversations at all levels of the u.s. government with egyptian officials leaning on mubarak to make this move, the transition to a new leader as the white house likes to say. but they don't want to publicly humiliate this long-time u.s. ally. as one senior aide sa

they are demanding the resignation of mubarak. they say this is the last day of mubarak and his corrupt regime. they are calling it a day of departure. meanwhile mubarak supporters began a counter demonstration in a different part of cairo. they are calling friday a day of allegiance. there are fears of a repeat of violent clashes that killed at least six people and injured more than 800 earlier this week. but with the army surrounding tahrir square, no major incidents have been reported so far. hello and lcome to "newsline." i'm hideshi hara in tokyo. in an exclusive interview, egyptian prime minister shared with us his perspective on the situation. first let's listen to the prime minister's reaction to the story in the "new york times." u.s. and egyptian officials are discussing the immediate resignation of president mubarak. >> translator: as far as i know, there is no such move. but i believe the intentions outlined by president mubarak should be convincing both in terms of the dignity of the egyptian people and their demands.

mubarak was so central to u.s. policy in the middle east some said the administration was unprepared for a post-mubarak era, but that era is now here, ready or not. the two presidents in cairo in 2009. >> i'm very much looking forward in the months and years to come to continue to consult with the president. >> reporter: for years hosni mubarak was the bedrock of american policy in the middle east. u.s. presidents came and went. he didn't. as they celebrated in queens, new york, little egypt today, across washington a collective question. what now? u.s. officials' biggest worry, chaos, a power vacuum that could allow extremists to flood across the border. >> the problem will lie if the egyptian revolution gets hijacked and taken over by a much more radical element. >> reporter: u.s. officials are counting on the egyptian military to hold the country together until elections can be held. but remembering the 2006 vote in gaza that brought radical group hamas to power, u.s. officials worry about moving too fast. moder

where did they leave president mubarak that the army is pivotal -- where did they leave president mubarak? the army is pivotal. without their support, the president will not survive the popular uprising. our correspondent looks at what role the generals are playing. >> soldiers were originally sent in to intimidate the demonstrators. now they are fraternizing with them. a major victory for the demonstrators, of course, but it is also a clear sign that the army holds egypt's feature in its hands. and it has come up for almost 60 years now, ever since the military coup against the monarchy in 1952. in the 1973 war against israel, the egyptian army crossed the suez canal and captured israeli territory, an achievement egypt is still immensely proud of. today, egypt's army is the 10th biggest in the world, with over half a million strong. this is a hotel complex in cairo, owned and run by the military. you need special permission to film this building and permission is never given. the army is one of egypt for l t real-estate owners. president mubarak has made his military commanders rich and

. >> president mubarak has lost control of the capital city.he army is here to protect them and the people's grievances are legitimate. a week ago, the president was still powerful in egypt. now he does not have many friends left. all kinds of egyptians have come to protest, but, once again, today, it felt a little more religious. many egyptians are pious muslims and political islam has deep roots here. friends, mubarak's especially israelis, they fear that a free election may win it for islam. >> we have the right to re-elect whoever we want. i do not think any to be worried. -- we have the right to elect whatever we want. i do not think they need to be worried. we have the right to elect whether we choose. >> some worry about the speed of change, predicting that the president would offer to go, not just -- just not immediately pierre >> he needs to announce -- i am going to leave. i am going to leave. just leave my children i am asking for five more months. you waited 30 years. you can wait five more months. >> do you think people will accept

mubarak to focus on his legacy. he is still there of course, but the bbc has been killed this vice-president is likely to meet the opposition within days. the muslim brotherhood has told us they will attend on a theme park is still in power. -- they will not attend while hosni mubarak is still in power. events in egypt had sent a powerful shock waves across the entire middle east. it the ayatollah parade -- praised the demonstrators. this concerns israel about the stability of the region. >> and jordan, they called for political and economic reform, inspired by egypt. politics is moving out of palaces and on the streets. this protest is full, but it seems to be part of a growing development in many arab countries. they are getting increasingly vocal. they feel more able to criticize their rulers and government, and they are the small seeds of a growing social revolution right across this region. >> the pan-arab muslim brotherhood organized this march. they told us the world does nothing to fear. >> we are people, an

president hosni mubarak was a former general himself. the deputy of the former president, of course, was an army general himself. so there are some concerns on some things. and so it remains to be seen, as a matter of fact. >> in washington, president obama said the egyptian people had made clear that nothing less than genuine democracy would carry the day. >> there are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place. this is one of those moments. this is one of those times. the people of egypt have spoken. their voices have been heard. and egypt will never be the same. by stepping down, president mubarak responded to the egyptian people's hunger for change. but this is not the end of egypt's transition. it's a beginning. i'm sure there will be difficult days ahead, and many questions remain unanswered. but i am confident that the people of egypt can find the answers and do so peacefully, constructively, and in the spirit of unity that has defined these last few weeks. >> with me here in the stud

it was made as the pressure mounts on mubarak.fessionals, including lawyers and medical workers,- have been increasingly joining the ranks of the hundreds of thousands of people calling not only for political changes but also for economic changes, including more jobs and lower prices as well. for the latest, let's go live to our cairo correspondent. can you give us an idea of what mubarak is likely to say in a little bit of time? >> we do not know if he is speaking in the first place. the only thing we know for sure is that the supreme military council met a few hours ago. that is the highest council of the military in egypt. normally, this military who is heading this is hosni mubarak himself. we know hosni moved far it was not present, and it was a very important and very interesting thing. even his vice-president, omar suleiman, was not present in this meeting. in this meeting, they decided that this council is going to permanently meet now in the military communique number one. this is the sign that they say they meet permanen

mubarak do now? a senior reformist from his ruling party says the president will offer a new compromise in the next few days. >> i think people will understand that it is not a tactic to just let them go home, but it is a mindset change to achieve the results of their protests. >> so a referendum on a new constitution could take place within, what, 2 1/2 months? >> yeah. between 60 to 90 days. >> but the crowds in the square aren't chanting mubarak out in 90 days. they want him out right now. incidents of serious brutality like this one, where a security van from his ruling party, rammed its way through a group of demonstrators, have made people more determined than ever to get rid of him. does the president have any other options? well, there is, of course, the army, the bedrock of the regime. will the troops move in to clear the square at this late stage? they had their chance when the gangs started moving in yesterday, but the soldiers sided with the demonstrators instead. the big danger is, of co

they want president mubarak to go. they spell it out clearly, they don't talk about the ruling party, they don't talk about the government. he, for them, is the symbol of 30 years of what they see as an authoritarian rule, repression, lack of freedom of expression and freedom of association. you see slogans like "the game is up." you see graffiti scribbled on tanks which i can't say it on air in a public broadcast. and as we head into friday they call friday the day of ouster. they believe if they push far enough and hard enough and get enough people there that president mubarak will go. but what's standing between them and that demand? well, a very stubborn president. that's what all his friends and allies say. but also the army. the army promised the protestors they wouldn't move against them and they haven't. but they also haven't moved against the president. >> rose: if the army and omar suleiman go to the president and say "you have to go now," the president goes? >> it's a very interesting question, charlie, beca

mubarak is our leader. he is our leader. >> our bridges and deplorable, the international community condemns those behind the bloodshed and calls for the of violence to end now. welcome to "bbc world news." coming up later for you come up one of the biggest cyclone's hits the australian state of queensland. there are warnings of an unprecedented devastation. the fight for the future as egypt has become a pitched battle on the streets. clashes are still going on in cairo between supporters of president mubarak and demonstrators that have been calling on him to go. in the last few hours, at least one person has been killed. there are three deaths and hundreds of injured. the u.s. contributes vast sums each year in aid. the political transition should begin immediately. this is following the explosive events in cairo. >> it is dark, dangerous, and violent in tahrir square tonight. protesters are fighting for the center of the space that they declared the center of their revolution tonight. in the morning, the

mubarak had already left cairo, but that wasn't enough. at the palace, soldiers slowly turned their tanks away from the crowd. and from the other side of the wire, joined the spirit of the moment, waving the egyptian flag. then, the announcement and victory. the news hit this crowd like an enormous wave. in an instant, there was ecstasy. and for wael ghonim, the google executive who played such a huge role here, a dream come true. but this was about all egyptians. they have done it themselves. >> before that revolution, i was ashamed to hold my egyptian passport anywhere. now, i'll be proud to hold it anywhere in this whole world. i am proud to be an egyptian. i am egyptian. >> reporter: for all the pride and joy tonight, the question, of course, is, what comes next? the military is in control. the generals are running things. they have promised to carry out reforms. they're the reforms that president mubarak and his vice president originally discussed. whether that's enough for the people here remains to be seen. diane? >> yes, there is c

political observers here say the pressure on mubarak is mounting. >> will mubarak last through the fall as he suggests? >> i don't think so. i don't think so. he has decided he has lived in egypt and he will die in egypt, but i don't think he will finish his job as president. >> all week long, i have been reporting with christiane amanpour, the only one to get time with president mubarak this week. i was so curious for your thoughts when you heard that not only the son but several memberess of this ruling party stepping down today. >> a development, a major one, because it follows what the president told me, he never intended his son gamal to run, and now he's accepted the resignation for getting rid of the whole executive parto of his ruling party, which puts into progress the transition period that everyone is calling for. it's one step. >> we're taking part in this special edition of your roundtable tomorrow morning, and one of the questions that came up is a question that we have come up in the streets of cairo, being american reporters. >> which is what is the commitment to world d

for the moment, mubarak is standing firm. is there a lot of support for mubarak?> i think we saw today that it is pretty open. the white house statement released this evening was quite critical, i expressed blunt disappointment, and made it clear that the government was not taking a transition in a way that was meaningful and beginning immediately as was required. i think washington, this evening, has already been pretty open about its disappointment with the egyptian government. >> what is washington's -- what does washington's attitude at the moment convey to the rest of the region? >> of which, it should convey a message to the people across the region. of course, people push for democracy and reform and civil rights, and washington will support them. washington will not be in front of the people. it will not be pressuring the regime's too hard out front. but once the people kind of initiate change and bring about change, then washington will be out there to support them and they want to have a good relationship with the country as it becomes more democratic. >

rose: does he have a serious role if, in fact, mubarak goes? >> well, it's hard to tell what would happen but when you're out on the streets you don't get the sense that he does have a big following. you do have a group of young people who are enthusiastic about the idea of mohammed elbaradei. you also have no other sort of public figures that have had that backing so... he's also been passive in a way. he's chosen to follow the lead of young people who have been the ones moving the street. >> rose: and has he taken himself out of being a president? >> no, i think... >> well, he's been diffident which is not a way... that's not a way to get to be a president. >> rose: there's also this for me, the autocracy of this government and the idea that some express of the fear of some new kind of autocracy rising. real? >> i think it's a very real fear it's not a misplaced fear. all the tools of oppression are still there. the tools for the autocracy are still there and when people speak of a coup, it's not quite what kind of coup is this? is this a cou