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CNN Live Event/Special

President Hosni Mubarak Addresses Egypt

Aired January 28, 2011 - 17:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt, is now speaking.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

HOSNI MUBARAK, PRESIDENT OF EGYPT (through translator): -- in a very specific situation. We all honestly should stand with each other for this country.

I saw the demonstrations at first and what it wanted. I told the government to give -- to give them -- to give them the space to tell what they want and what they need.

After that -- after that, I was so sorry for what happened with the injured demonstrators and the officers. The government did what it was asked, and it was obvious -- it was obvious that the armed forces worked with our youth and protected it, and respected them to be peaceful in their demonstration under the law and before it transferred into chaos and threatened the law and the life of every citizen.

These demonstrations and what we saw before that in the years before, it shouldn't have happened before -- it shouldn't have happened due to the big gaps of freedom that were given.

As the president of this country and with all the constitution -- with all the power that the constitution gave me, I assure you that he's working for -- that I'm working for the people and giving freedoms of opinion, as long as you're respecting the law.

There's a very little line between freedom and chaos. I am absolutely on the side of the freedom of the each citizen, and at the same time I am on the side of the security of Egypt and I would not let anything dangerous happen that would threaten the peace and the law and the future of the country.

Egypt is the biggest region in its -- in its region -- in its area, and it's under the law of its constitution, we have to be careful of anything that would allow chaos. No democracy would be there if we allow chaos.

These demonstrations wanted to -- wanted to speak about their opinion to give more job opportunities and to lower the prices and to fight -- and to fight the poor.

I know -- I know all that these things, these issues that the people are asking. I've never been separated from it, and I work for it every day. But what we are facing as a problem and what we have as goal goals, terrorism is not going to allow it to happen. But communication and talking will allow it to happen -- to be achieved.

It's not going to be allowed that things will be robbed and stolen and fires set. You won't shake my opinion that the economy needs to be fixed, the society needs to be fixed for a better Egyptian society and a Democratic one to be open to the world.

I'll always be on the side of the poor. And I'm convinced that economy is not to be kept for only the economists, and I am with bettering the economy.

Our program to fight and to open more job opportunities and education for youth and citizens it the best thing to protect Egypt, a nation for a civilized people.

In these demonstrations, the chaos and the fires is a plan -- is a plan to actually wreck the security. Every Egyptian should care for the -- for the head of the country, not with causing fires or wrecking private and public businesses. But things will actually get to a solution in the future by communication and conversation for the country.

Dear citizens, I don't talk to you today as a president, but as an Egyptian. I spent war and peace in this country, very hard times. We overcame it, we were united as people. But when we knew our way and we set our goals, the road that we chose to fix is not to be ignored.

New steps for more democracy, for more freedom for the citizens. Steps, new steps for make new job opportunities and raise the economy and develop and to stand by the poor and the people who have limited salaries, this is what's going to make our future and we can't do that unless we are open and we are hardworking.

We need to build on what we already have and to make a new future. What happened in the past few days puts -- puts fear in everybody's hearts and the fear future and for additional chaos and wrecking.

I take responsibility for the security of this country and the citizens. I will not let this happen. I will not let fear to live in the citizen or to let them tell us what's going to happen in the future.

I ask the government to resign today, and I will tell the new government from tomorrow in very specific goals to work with the current situation.

I would say again, I will not be easy to take any -- to decide anything unless it's for the Egyptians. And I will protect Egypt. I took oath to protect Egypt and everybody.

God have mercy.