Egypt's New Government Announced

Egypt's New Government Announced

New Egypt Government To Be Appointed, But President Mubarak Refuses To Step Down.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak acknowledged his citizens' discontent and attempted to defuse the crisis in Egypt Friday night by announcing that a new government is on the way.

But the embattled president gave no indication that he himself planned to step down.

Specifically, Mubarak said that the current government has been asked to resign and he would appoint a new one on Saturday.

 He gave no indications he himself planned to step down, despite increasing calls for him to do so.

President Mubarak's exact words: "I have requested the government to step down today. And I will designate a new government as of tomorrow to shoulder new duties."

The 82-year-old autocrat, who assumed power in Egypt 30 years ago, made the announcement following a day of widespread protests, violence and demonstrations.

Just hours before the activity on the streets began, Egypt cut off Internet networks throughout the country.

Egypt's New Government Announced On TV

President Mubarak announced the dissolving of the previous government late Friday, naming his intelligence chief and close aide Omar Suleiman as vice president and former Air Force general Ahmed Shafiq as prime minister. But protesters immediately rejected the move as an attempt byPresident Mubarak, Egypt's authoritarian ruler of nearly 30 years, to cling to power.

The new line-up of Cabinet ministers announced on state television included stalwarts of President Mubarak's regime but purged several of the prominent businessmen who held economic posts and have engineered the country's economic liberalization policies the past decades. Many Egyptians resented to influence of millionaire politician-moguls, who were close allies of Mubarak's son, Gamal, long thought to be the heir apparent for the presidency.

In the new Cabinet, Mubarak retained his long-serving defense minister, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi - and gave him an additional title of deputy prime minister - and also kept Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

But for some posts, President Mubarak brought in new blood by naming figures who hold widespread respect in their fields. For example, Gaber Asfour, a prominent literary figure, was named culture minister. He replaced the longest-serving Cabinet member, Farouq Hosni, who had held the post for more than 25 years.

Also, Egypt's most famous archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, was named state minister for antiquities, a new post.

State newspapers on Monday published a sternly worded letter from Mubarak to his new prime minister, Shafiq, ordering him to move swiftly to introduce political, legislative and constitutional reforms.

He also appeared to distance himself from the economic policies directed by his son Gamal, widely blamed for causing a wide gap between the rich and poor, for whom economic hardships have deepened. In the letter, President Mubarak urged "new economic policies that give maximum care to an economic performance which pays heed to the suffering of the citizens, and lightening their burden."