Cairo: Facing mounting pressure to quit, embattled President Hosni Mubarak offered to open talks with opposition groups which have called a nation-wide general strike, demanding his ouster even as the powerful Army made it clear that it will not use force against the protesters.
"The president has asked me today to immediately hold contacts with the political forces to start a dialogue about all raised issues that also involve constitutional and legislative reforms in a form that will result in clear proposed amendments and a specific timetable for its implementation," newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman read Mubarak's offer on state TV.
Suleiman, a longtime confidant of Mubarak, did not mention which political forces the government wants to talk with or what reform they are considering but the dialogue offer alluded to broaden eligibility of opposition candidates for the next year's presidential election.
As a coalition of opposition groups called on the people to hit the streets today in a show of strength demanding Mubarak step down immediately, the Army came out with a statement on national TV that it will not use force against protesters.
The Army recogonises "the legitimacy of the people's demands", a military spokesperson said reading out a statement. He went on to add that Army will guarantee "freedom of expression".
Stepping up their campaign, a coalition of opposition groups called a general strike and hoped to put up a massive show of strength today to force Mubarak to leave the country by Friday.
The coalition, including the outlawed Brotherhood, served an ultimatum telling the Army to choose between "Egypt or Mubarak". The death toll in seven days of violence has crossed 150 already.
Anti-Mubarak sentiments reached a feverish pitch on Sunday, as thousands converged on Tahrir or Liberation Square -- the hub of the protests in the heart of Cairo -- to make the call for a "million man march" today.
The call by the so called 'April 6 Shabab Movement' came as an indefinite countrywide strike gripped the nation, paralysing all essential services, including government offices, banks and trading centres.
Yesterday, Mubarak sacked his much-hated interior minister Habib al-Adly in a revamped cabinet and appointed a new intelligence chief Murad Mowafi to mollify opposition groups.
Adly was replaced by Mahmud Wagdi, a police general and former head of criminal investigations department.
Also axed were the finance and culture ministers.
The main opposition group Muslim Brotherhood rejected the new team dominated by regime veterans, and called for continued protests to ensure the fall of the crumbling regime.
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