WASHINGTON - February 1 - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has announced that he will not be a candidate for the Presidency in elections scheduled for September or October, but that he will remain in office to oversee the enactment of political reforms.  Human Rights First does not believe that the opposition will see this announcement as a concession and that Mubarak’s speech is unlikely to bring the protests to an end. 

Human Rights First’s Neil Hicks noted, “President Mubarak has promised political reforms before and has failed to act on his promises. There is no reason to believe that any commitments he makes now will result in the types of changes being demanded by protesters.”

The organization today said that in response to President Mubarak’s speech, the U.S. government should strengthen its message that real change is needed to meet the legitimate demands of the Egyptian people. That change will require President Mubarak to hand over power to an interim government that includes credible representatives of the opposition that will then oversee the necessary constitutional and legislative changes leading up to elections for a new parliament and a new president.