Politics pervade Cairo's streets Egyptians air different views on their hopes for the future but all of them agree it is time for Mubarak to go.

At least one person has been killed and another 600 injured in continuing clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators in the Egyptian capital Cairo. Protesters from both sides fought pitched battles on Wednesday in Tahrir [Liberation] Square, the epicentre of ongoing opposition demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak for the past nine days Al Jazeera correspondents, reporting from the scene, said clashes were still raging and that petrol bombs were being hurled. "Someone - a few people actually - are dropping homemade bombs into the square from the buildings surrounding it," our online producer said. Gunshots are also regularly ringing out of the square. Earlier, witnesses said the military allowed thousands of pro-Mubarak supporters, armed with sticks and knives, to enter the square. Opposition groups said Mubarak had sent in thugs to suppress anti-government protests. One of our correspondents said the army seemed to be standing by and facilitating the clashes. Though initially put on the backfoot by the sudden attack, determined anti-government protesters looked to be winning the battle against Mubarak supporters. 'Absolute mayhem' Witnesses also said that pro-Mubarak supporters were dragging away protesters they had managed to grab and handing them over to security forces. Salma Eltarzi, an anti-government protester, told Al Jazeera there were hundreds of wounded people. "There are no ambulances in sight, and all we are using is Dettol," she said. "We are all so scared." Aisha Hussein, a nurse, said dozens of people were being treated at a makeshift clinic in a mosque near the square. She described a scene of "absolute mayhem", as protesters first began to flood into the clinic. Al Jazeera's special coverage on Egypt "People are coming in with multiple wounds. All kinds of contusions. We had one guy who needed stitches in two places on his face. Some have broken bones." Meanwhile, another Al Jazeera correspondent said men on horseback and camels had ploughed into the crowds, as army personnel stood by. At least six riders were dragged from their beasts, beaten with sticks by the protesters and taken away with blood streaming down their faces. One of them was dragged away unconscious, with large blood stains on the ground at the site of the clash. The worst of the fighting was just outside the world famous Egyptian Museum, which was targeted by looters last week. Al Jazeera's correspondent added that a group of pro-government protesters took over army vehicles. They also took control of a nearby building and used the rooftop to throw concrete blocks, stones, and other objects. Soldiers surrounding the square took cover from flying stones, and the windows of at least one army truck were broken. Some troops stood on tanks and appealed for calm but did not otherwise intervene. Many of the pro-Mubarak supporters raised slogans like "Thirty Years of Stability, Nine Days of Anarchy". Violence Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, also in Cairo, said that security guards have also been seen amongst the pro-Mubarak supporters, and it may be a precursor to the feared riot police arriving on the scene. Dutton added that a journalist with the Al-Arabiya channel was stabbed during the clashes. Fighting took place around army tanks deployed around the square, with stones bouncing off the armoured vehicles. "But we will not leave ... Everybody stay put" Khalil, anti-government protester Several groups were involved in fist fights, and some were using clubs.  The opposition also said many among the pro-Mubarak crowd were policemen in plain clothes. "Members of security forces dressed in plain clothes and a number of thugs have stormed Tahrir Square," three opposition groups said in a statement. Mohamed ElBaradei, a prominent opposition figure, accused Mubarak of resorting to scare tactics. Opposition groups have reportedly also seized police identification cards amongst the pro-Mubarak demonstrators. "I'm extremely concerned, I mean this is yet another symptom, or another indication, of a criminal regime using criminal acts," ElBaradei said. "My fear is that it will turn into a bloodbath," he added, calling the pro-Mubarak supporters a "bunch of thugs". ElBaradei has also urged the army to intervene. "I ask the army to intervene to protect Egyptian lives," he told Al Jazeera, adding he said it should intervene "today" and not remain neutral. Determined protesters Despite the clashes, anti-government protesters seeking Mubarak's immediate resignation said they would not give up until Mubarak steps down. Pro-Mubarak supporters came riding on camels and horses [Al Jazeera/online producer] Khalil, in his 60s and holding a stick, blamed Mubarak supporters and undercover security for the clashes. "But we will not leave," he told Reuters. "Everybody stay put." Mohammed el-Belgaty, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, told Al Jazeera the "peaceful demonstrations in Tahrir Square have been turned into chaos". "The speech delivered by President Mubarak was very provocative as he used very sentimental words. "Since morning, hundreds of these paid thugs started to demonstrate pretending to be supporting the President. Now they came to charge inside Tahrir Square armed with batons, sticks and some knives. "Mubarak is asking the people to choose between him or chaos." Ahead of Wednesday's clashes, supporters of the president staged a number of rallies around Cairo, saying Mubarak represented stability amid growing insecurity, and calling those who want his departure "traitors." "Yes to Mubarak, to protect stability," read one banner in a crowd of 500 gathered near state television headquarters, about 1km from Tahrir Square. A witness said organisers were paying people $17, to take part in the pro-Mubarak rally, a claim that could not be confirmed. The protests rocking Egypt could change the political landscape of the entire Arab world and beyond. Possible outcomes range all the way from pro-democracy forces taking charge in Cairo to – in a worst case – an all-out war bringing in Israel and Iran. In between, there could be a long period of instability that could breed economic chaos across the region and derail economic recoveries in the U.S. and Europe. In Cairo, embattled President Hosni Mubarak declared to his nation in a televised address Tuesday night that he would not stand for re-election but wouldn't leave office either, determined to stay in power until elections in September. Mubarak declined to rule out his son as a candidate. Later, President Barack Obama talked by phone to Mubarak for 30 minutes and said in brief remarks at the White House that the Egyptian leader "recognizes that the status quo is not sustainable and that a change must take place." But, Obama emphasized, he indicated directly to Mubarak that it "is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now." That appeared to imply that the president was not particularly enthusiastic about Mubarak's decision to wait until September. Mubarak made his half-way concession as hundreds of thousands of Egyptians gathered in a major square in Cairo to demand an end to his 30-year rule. Egypt, the world's largest Arab nation, is critically important to U.S. foreign policy and to major goals the Obama administration is pursuing in the Middle East: the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, containment of Iran's influence and nuclear ambitions, counter-terrorism. "Right now you've got a thousand people in government writing policy memos trying to figure out what's going on," said Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. Mideast peacemaker who is now at the Woodrow Wilson Center think tank. "The three-option memo is standard. Option one is Armageddon. The world is falling apart. American interests will be completely threatened "The third option is: Don't worry, boss, this isn't such a big deal. "It's the middle option, with respect to American interests, that we have to pay serious attention to," Miller said. The worst case envisions a rise in extremist Muslim factions in Egypt, Tunisia and even Jordan. The Suez Canal and an adjacent pipeline could be closed, the Egyptian-Israeli peace accord renounced, the U.S.-Egyptian diplomatic and military relationship ended. Iran could move in to fill the vacuum. That could trigger war between Israel and Iran, perhaps involving nuclear weapons. American influence throughout the region would be greatly diminished. Most Middle East experts and analysts don't think such a doomsday scenario will happen, particularly with encouraging signs of a peaceful transfer of power in Egypt and with the so-far nonviolent nature of the demonstrations. But there are still many signs of stress and potential problems ahead. And, it's clear, there will be no return to the status quo: The U.S. role in the Middle East has probably been altered forever. "The consequences of instability in Egypt to the United States are really important," said former diplomatic troubleshooter Nicholas Burns, who was the Bush administration's point man on Iran from 2005 to 2008. "The strategic interests of the United States are on the line." Mubarak's course of saying he won't seek re-election but won't step down immediately or rule out his son as a candidate "guarantees that the demonstrations will continue," said Danielle Pletka, vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank. "Their demand is that Mubarak go now, not that Mubarak go in seven months." However, she said, if Mubarak had made the offer earlier that would have defused the crisis. In his remarks, Obama emphasized that "it is not the role of any other country to determine Egypt's leaders." Shibley Telhami, a Mideast scholar at the University of Maryland, said it was important for Obama to "lower our tone" and not appear to get directly involved in the leadership change – for fear of creating an unwelcome backlash. "The less we make this about America, the better," Telhami said. Any period of governmental uncertainty, if Egypt goes through a succession of leaders, or if extremist factions gain the upper hand, could keep tensions across the region high for a long period. Also adding to the uncertainty: The protesters are varied and often have conflicting agendas, ranging from students and grass-roots organizers to online activists to the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood that generally wants to form a state governed by Islamic law.The brotherhood is currently banned, but it could gain power in any period of political upheaval. While the Brotherhood claims to have closed its paramilitary wing long ago, it has fought politically to gain power. It has also built a nationwide charity and social network that much of Egypt's population depends on for survival. "You have to be very careful about instability for a very long period because this is a country where you just have critical problems in food supply and feeding people," said Anthony Cordesman, an expert on the Middle East at the Center for Strategic and international Studies. All nations in the region, in fact, that aren't big oil-producing states, have problems with poverty and hunger, worries that could be worsened by any destabilizing event, he said. And instability in Egypt could spread to its neighbors. "In terms of the worst case, the obvious one is that, over time, you see some kind of violent Islamic extremist takeover. The second worst case is that you see the government survive in a form so repressive that basically every passing month creates even more pressure for change and even more anger at the regime and at the United States," said Cordesman, a former director of intelligence assessment in the Pentagon. A confidential June 2005 U.S. government diplomatic cable, posted online Tuesday by the WikiLeaks organization, showed that the U.S. has long been concerned that Egypt faced a succession crisis. Questions about Mubarak's age and health, the cable said, "have made presidential succession a core national issue." It isn't clear how much clout will be wielded by Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel-prize winning former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who has emerged over the past few days as the leading opposition leader. "This is so complex because the Egyptian opposition has so many faces," said Peter Morici, a University of Maryland business professor and former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission. For instance, Morici noted, while ElBaradei is a clear favorite of the West, he has been "quite critical of Egypt's support for the Israeli blockade of Gaza." Morici said overhanging the whole issue of possible ramifications is the possibility of a tightening of oil supplies by oil-producing states that might be unhappy with the turn of events in Egypt's governance. With just a 5 percent reduction in production, "you could hit $120 a barrel and that's $4 a gallon gasoline." That could torpedo a still fragile recovery, he said. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE: Tom Raum has covered national and international affairs for The Associated Press since 1973. Other pro-Mubarak demonstrations occurred in the Mohandeseen district, as well as near Ramses Square.

CAIRO, EGYPT - Tuesday was billed as a game-changer, the day of a "Million March" that would swell the crowd in Tahrir Square, along with its spirits, as protesters promised a decisive action that would deliver the message to Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, that no concession aside from his abdication would satisfy Egypt’s widespread unrest. Final estimates of the size varied widely, but it was probably the largest demonstration modern Cairo has ever seen, and the message from Tahrir echoed clearly from the chants of the enormous crowd: "He's going, we're not going." Throughout the morning, the Egyptian army fulfilled its promise to protect the civilian populace, providing an outer cordon of security and ushering demonstrators through barbed wire and concrete barriers with little or no resistance. But it was often ordinary citizens - the protesters themselves - who performed the most stringent security checks, patting down young men, checking ID cards, and ushering away those who seemed to be a threat. Inside, the atmosphere was jovial, and there was a palpable buzz in the crowd. The army had already promised not to use force against unarmed civilians, and there was little concern among the demonstrators that other security forces would attack. Though police had reportedly deployed again throughout the city, they were nowhere to be seen in the vicinity of Tahrir. So protesters were free to wave signs, deliver impromptu speeches, chant slogans, and hold forth on politics. They sang the Egyptian national anthem, “My country, my country," in unison several times. "Our requirement now, it is to do a power-sharing with all the people in Egypt,” said Said Mustafa. “The Muslim Brotherhood, al-Wafd, ElBaradei, all the people sharing in this, with the army." Talking politics It was a slightly surreal experience, talking politics with Egyptians in the middle of Tahrir Square, a place that - until a week ago - was the heart of Egypt’s authoritarian government. The hulking Mogamma building, an edifice that has long symbolised all that was corrupt and dysfunctional in Egypt's bureaucracy, looms always in Tahrir's background. But there was none of the reluctance that once characterised political conversations; all of them were eager to share their views. In the streets surrounding the Mogamma, burned out cars sat like carcasses. Several young men lounged inside one, snacking on pastries. On a side street near the old American University in Cairo, Nawal el-Saadawy, a well-known human rights activist, engaged in informal debates and talks with the crowd that had gathered around her. Mohammed Abdelrady, who said he belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, pursued Saadawy doggedly, questioning her thinking on the role of religion in life. Abdelrady argued that Egyptians have been a thoroughly religious people for thousands of years, since the time of the Pharaohs, and that while he and Saadawy likely agreed about much, she was pressing for too many "religious freedoms" and pushing women's rights too hard for Egyptian society. Saadawy, after taking the man's number and before being ushered away by the group accompanying her, pointed out to Abdelrady that the constitution makes all Egyptians equal, regardless of sex or sect. One group of men in Tahrir debated whether prominent families - like the billionaire Sawiris clan, which controls Orascom Telecom - would support a new government or stand with Mubarak. Several talked about Gamal Mubarak, the president's son, wondering what his future role would be. All of them agreed, though, that it was time for Mubarak to go. "Thirty  years he's been with us. Enough!" said Abu Hassan, an elderly man sitting in the center of the square who waved a reporter over to chat. “Nasser died. Sadat died. And we had this president for 30 years? Enough." Anger Anger at the United States and Israel - seen as Mubarak's two staunchest allies - was palpable. Dozens of people held signs criticising the US for backing the president, and one demonstrator carried a "leave, Mubarak" sign written in Hebrew. "It's a message for Netanyahu," he said, referring to the Israeli prime minister. Another protester held a sign that said, "I hate Mubarak and I hate Israel." Several protesters blamed the current government for stoking sectarian unrest in Egypt, which has seen several ghastly acts of communal violence in recent months – the bombing of a Coptic church in Alexandria earlier this month, and a drive-by shooting outside a church in Nag Hammadi last year. Tuesday's protest was an antidote of sorts to those tensions: Egyptians from all walks of life – Muslims and Christians, some devoutly religious, others not – chanting the same slogans."The Egyptian government has created these tensions," said Mustafa Haddad. "There never used to be problems between Muslims and Christians, Christians and Muslims. There is no conflict within the sha'ab [the Egyptian people]." Egyptian state television, meanwhile, took a slightly softer line on the rallies, which it had ignored up until last night. It still tried to minimise them, showing grainy out-of-focus shots of Tahrir Square and pictures of side streets which held only a handful of demonstrators. But several state-owned networks sent reporters to Tahrir Square, and they described the protest as peaceful, praising the army's role in providing security. The rest of their coverage focused on the new government, which has been widely scorned by protesters across the country. One channel carried an interview with the new prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, talking about the new government's priorities; and a story about Mahmoud Wagdy, the new interior minister, announcing his "Police Serving the People" programme. Outside, chants of "No Mubarak, No Suleiman, No Shafiq" echoed across Tahrir Square, and several demonstrators held signs comparing the police to terrorists. By evening, the crowd had thinned somewhat, but the rally will continue into the night, with many demonstrators pitching tents and starting campfires to keep warm. Mubarak's announcement tonight, in which it's anticipated he will announce his intent not to run again for president, is unlikely to satisfy them. Source: Al Jazeera