ISSANDR EL AMRANI, FOUNDER, ARABIST.NET TALKS ABOUT EGYPT AT BLOOMBERG TV

ISSANDR EL AMRANI, FOUNDER, ARABIST.NET, TALKS ABOUT EGYPT AT BLOOMBERG TV

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

SPEAKERS: FRANCINE LACQUA, BLOOMBERG NEWS ANCHOR

ISSANDR EL AMRANI, FOUNDER, ARABIST.NET

[*] FRANCINE LACQUA, BLOOMBERG NEWS ANCHOR: Well, with the Egyptian uprising entering its ninth day, the biggest threat is the political turmoil that, and that may spill over into the rest of the Arab world. We can now speak to a Middle East journalist and founder of the website, Arabist.net, Issandr El Amrani. Issandr, thank you so much for joining us on the phone. What has it been like over the last couple of days?

ISSANDR EL AMRANI, FOUNDER, ARABIST.NET: It is as if Egypt in the last week has become a different country. The - even the Internet is being shut off, a move worthy of a country like North Korea, to the army occupying the streets. People here don't recognize the place anymore.

The events of yesterday were an officially worrying development. If you are watching Egyptian TV now there is enormous amounts of propaganda trying to rile up the population against the pro-democracy protestors who have occupied Tahrir Square for the last few days, and the government is directly to blame for the clashes yesterday. It is quite astonishing to see tanks and soldiers occupying Tahrir Square, yet not doing anything to stop people from throwing rocks, Molotov cocktails. It is - the situation is quite simply astonishing.

LACQUA: Yes. Issandr, some of the pictures were extremely disturbing from what we have seen. Is there a sense on the ground that actually President Mubarak will leave sooner than what he set out in September?

EL AMRANI: This is a deep, deep crisis for the regime and I think what President Mubarak did a few days ago by announcing that he would leave in September was try to save the regime, to save the military hardcore, the regime and the challenge that the protestors are now giving the military is that by tomorrow they have to pick a side, so I suspect that we will see things move quite quickly. I am not sure that Mr. Mubarak might have been able to stay until September's election before the violence last night, but this type of thuggery of Mafia- like tactics I think will make it very difficult for his international supporters to continue backing him and backing this. My interpretation of what happened -

LACQUA: Issandr, how dangerous actually it on the street? Are you staying inside?

EL AMRANI: It - I am staying inside and I think most ordinary people, ordinary Egyptians are staying inside. There is some security provided either by the army or by the popular neighborhood committees that have been formed, these type of neighborhood watches, but it is extremely dangerous.

The people who came out last night, these pro-Mubarak protestors are extremely, extremely antagonistic. They are - it is quite dangerous for foreigners and I am hearing for the loss of foreign journalist colleagues in Cairo today -

LACQUA: All right.

EL AMRANI: - that they will not be going out today.

LACQUA: Issandr, thank you so much, Issandr El Amrani there from Arabist.net. [*]

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