CAIRO, Egypt — Egyptians thronged again to Tahrir Square on Friday, one week after the downfall of Hosni Mubarak, in a victory celebration of dancing, singing and flag-waving, but also serious resolve to pressure the country’s military rulers to implement change.
The military allowed - even encouraged - the celebrations. But it gave its strongest warning yet against a wave of labor strikes that broke out in parallel with the anti-government political protests and have hit Egypt’s economy hard the past week. In a statement, the military said it would no longer allow “illegal” demonstrations that stop production and will take action against them.
The crowd in downtown Cairo’s Tahrir Square appeared to spiral well beyond the quarter-million that massed for the biggest of the anti-Mubarak protests. The rally was called by protest leaders to press their demands on the military to take greater action to remove regime figures who still hold considerable power.
Giant Egyptian flags were unfurled, and people sought shade beneath the black, white and red fabric. Parents painted their children’s faces with the national colors. Vendors hawked T-shirts praising the “Jan. 25 revolution” - a reference to the date protests began in the square.
Protest leaders told the mass gathering that rallies must go on until the military rulers meet their demands.
Protesters want the army to dissolve the caretaker government headed by Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, which was appointed by Mubarak in his final weeks and contains many of his stalwarts. They also want the lifting of emergency laws that give police near unlimited powers of arrest. So far, the military has not moved on either issue, or on another demand for the release of thousands of political prisoners.
http://www.arkansas…">Protests rock Egypt
Protest organizers have called for weekly protests every Friday.
Prominent Muslim cleric Sheik Youssef el-Qaradawi, who is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, led the crowd in prayers, saying, “The revolution is not over until we have a new Egypt.”
In Egypt’s second-largest city, the Mediterranean port of Alexandria, hundreds of thousands rallied outside a main mosque, then paraded down the seafront boulevard. They shouted for the Shafiq government’s removal, using the same chant as protests against Mubarak - “The people want to topple the regime.” Soldiers in the streets did not interfere.
The Armed Forces Supreme Council, a body of top generals that forced Mubarak to resign and hand over power, has promised a swift transition to an elected government and president within six months. In the final days of the protests, many in the crowds had pleaded with the army to push Mubarak out.
But in the past week, worries have begun to arise among protest leaders about the military’s handling of the transition. Changes to the constitution are being planned in private by a military-appointed panel. So far, leaders backing change have not been given any position of influence in the transition, the Mubarak-appointed government remains in place, and police powers remain intact.
The military the past week has been focused on trying to contain the labor strikes that have flared across the country, striking state industries and government offices. The strikes have forced an extended closure of banks and the stock market, shuttered for about three weeks, and further hurt an economy trying to recover from the turmoil that preceded Mubarak’s ouster.
Friday evening, the Armed Forces Supreme Council warned it would “not allow the continuation of these illegal practices because of their severe danger to the nation, and it will confront them and take the legal measures needed to protect the nation’s security.”
While it acknowledged the demands of “some sectors,” it said the strikes and demonstrations by workers were “disrupting [economic] interests, halting the wheels of production and creating difficult economic conditions that could lead to the deterioration of the nation’s economy.”
It accused some of preventing state workers from reaching their jobs, “increasing losses.”
In other developments, Egypt has agreed to allow two Iranian naval vessels to transit the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, a military official said Friday, ending several days of confusion over their planned passage, which Israel’s foreign minister has labeled a provocation.
An Iranian diplomat has said the vessels were heading to Syria for training and that the request to move through the canal is in line with international regulations.
It was not clear exactly when they would pass the canal, which was already closed for the day when the approval was announced on state media.
The vessels, a frigate and a supply ship, received the approval after routine procedures to check there was nothing illegal on board, said an Egyptian military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman refused to comment on Friday’s announcement. On Wednesday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had called the plan “a provocation that proves that Iranian audacity and insolence are increasing.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama on Air Force One that the U.S. was keeping an eye on the ships.
Meanwhile, Switzerland froze tens of millions of francs belonging to leading figures in Egypt’s former regime, officials said Friday.
Information for this article was contributed by Maggie Michael, Sarah El Deeb, Julie Pace, Matthew Pennington and John Heilprin of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 7 on 02/19/2011