12.02.2011                     08.Adar l, 5771

Ägypten:

Mubarak's defiance surprised US and threatened chaos

CIA officials learned of Egyptian military's plan to remove Mubarak, but Egyptian president decided at the last minute to change the ending.

After a week of crossed signals and strained conversations, the Obama administration finally had good news: Late Wednesday, CIA and Pentagon officials learned of the Egyptian military's plan to relieve Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of his powers immediately and end the unrest that had convulsed the country for more than two weeks.
The scheme would unfold Thursday, with the only uncertainty being Mubarak's fate. "There were two scenarios: He would either leave office, or he would transfer power," said a US government official who was briefed on the plan. "These were not speculative scenarios. There was solid information" and a carefully crafted script….