Egypt protesters stage 'last chance' freedom march

CAIRO?? Tens of thousands of protesters chanting, "Leave, leave!" gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square Friday what promises to be a massive demonstration to force Egypt's ruling military council to yield power.

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The Friday rally is dubbed by organizers as "The Last Chance Million-Man Protest," and comes one day after the military offered an apology for the killing of nearly 40 protesters in clashes on side streets near Tahrir over the last week.

The military also says that parliamentary elections due to start Monday will go ahead on schedule.

The protest is expected to peak after Friday prayers in the square.

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An Associated Press reporter at the scene said pro-reform leader and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed El-Baradei had arrived in the square and was expected to join the prayers.

Nervous calm
A truce between security forces and hard-line protesters brought a nervous calm to the streets near Tahrir on Thursday after five days of clashes that turned part of the capital into a battle zone and left residents choking in clouds of tear gas.

The army council said it was doing all it could to prevent more violence, offered condolences and compensation to families of the dead and a swift enquiry into who caused the unrest.

But reports of unjustified police brutality that have swollen the ranks of protesters continue to filter out in the media.

In other developments Friday:

• The Obama administration voiced fresh support Friday for restive Egyptians demanding a smoother, speedier transition to democracy following President Hosni Mubarak's fall from power earlier this year. "The United States will continue to stand with the Egyptian people as they build a democracy worthy of Egypt's great history," it said in a statement. "Most importantly, we believe that the full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible." The administration also reiterated that it has "condemned the excessive use of force" against protesters and that it has "called for restraint on all sides."
• Family and friends of three American students arrested during a protest in Cairo waited anxiously for news that they had been released from police custody. Derrik Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter, who attend the American University in Cairo, were arrested on the roof of a university building near Tahrir Square on Sunday. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters. A court in Egypt ordered the release of the students, a lawyer in Philadelphia confirmed Thursday.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45433867/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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