On Feb. 1, Mubarak pledged that he would not seek another presidential
term, Middle East Newsline reported. But the president vowed he would remain and "die on the soil of Egypt."
"Leave, leave," the crowd of more than 100,000 responded to Mubarak's
televised speech.
The sources said the old guard included much of the Muslim Brotherhood,
Wafd Party and Kefaya. The new protesters were identified as students, union
activists and opposition bloggers.
"The new people are Western-educated and do not want any less than the
opposition in Tunisia," the source said.
The divisions within the opposition were said to have surfaced during
strategic sessions by the leadership over the last 24 hours. The sources
said the new guard resisted proposals by the Brotherhood, which was
supporting former International Atomic Energy Agency director-general
Mohammed El Baradei.
"The younger people are very aware that they could be driven out of the
opposition leadership once the Brotherhood achieves its aim," the source
said.
So far, the new guard has been boycotting meetings of the opposition
leadership. The sources said student groups have objected to a proposal by
the Brotherhood and Wafd for a dialogue with Suleiman.
The sources said the United States has been in contact with a range of
opposition groups, including the Brotherhood. But they said the State
Department was said to have favored El Baradei, who favors a transitional
government. At the same time, the Defense Department has been communicating
with senior members of the Egyptian military.
At this point, the opposition was united that Mubarak must leave within
days. The leadership has set a Feb. 4 deadline for the president to leave
office, but elements of the coalition were prepared to allow the military to
assume control for the next few months. One prospect was that Egyptian Chief
of Staff Gen. Sami Einan replace Mubarak.
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