ElBaradei: Egyptians should copy Tunisian revolt

Ex-IAEA chief urges Mubarak not to seek another term in office when his mandate expires in September.

Middle East Online, January 23, 2011

ElBaradei hopes the protests “will not degenerate BERLIN – Opponents of Egypt’s long-running regime should be able to follow the lead set by the toppling of Tunisia’s veteran president, leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei said in comments released Saturday. “If the Tunisians have done it, Egyptians should get there too,” the former UN nuclear watchdog chief told Der Spiegel for an interview to be published Monday. Protests in Tunisia against president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali led to his ouster last week after 23 years in power. There is much debate in the region as to how contagious the Tunisian “Jasmine Revolution” will prove to be. While Egypt is suffering social problems and has seen a number of people set themselves on fire in an echo of the protest which sparked the Tunisia unrest, ElBaradei pointed to major differences between the two north African nations. Continues>>