Egypt's Army: End the Protests
Wall Street Journal reports:
Egypt's army called on protesters to return home Wednesday, and Internet connections were restored, as the government moved to restore some normalcy after a wrenching week of protests.
"You have the power to bring stability back to the country," an army spokesman said on state television. "We are urging you as respectful citizens to go back home."
Egypt's government, which took the unprecedented step of shutting off Internet access during the height of the protests, restored service Wednesday, said Hassan Kabbani, chief executive of cellphone service provider MobiNil.
Websites that had been inaccessible for days, including the Central Bank of Egypt's, were available again at midday.
The army's call for an end to the protests came after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he will step down after elections this year, bowing after 29 years in power to a popular uprising that has begun to reshape the Middle East.
His announcement in a televised address near midnight Tuesday came under pressure from massive demonstrations, the wavering support of his military and a call from President Barack Obama for him to begin to make way for a new leader.
Mr. Mubarak said he wouldn't run in the next election and called for constitutional reforms, opening the door for opposition groups and his regime to square off for control of the country's future.
The opposition, which drew an estimated 250,000 protesters to central Cairo Tuesday, rejected his offer. The signal that he would preside over the transition—and remain in power until then—was seen as an attempt to dodge the current crisis without giving a credible guarantee that he would follow through on his reform pledges.
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