Egyptian Negotiations Fail to Placate Protesters

Protesters’ main demand that President Hosni Mubarak step down immediately remains off the table.

Thousands of protesters remain in Cairo’s Tahrir Square demanding Mubarak step down, but signs of normalcy are beginning to creep back into Egyptian life. Tanks remain on the streets but some stores that have been closed since mass demonstrations erupted fourteen days ago have reopened. The government held talks Sunday with members of the opposition, including Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and while Mubarak’s ruling party made some concessions there is still no sign he intends to resign before presidential elections in September. Vice President Omar Suleiman offered to grant full press freedom to the media, scale back police powers, and investigate corruption, but opposition groups are seeking more significant changes, including amending the constitution.