CAIRO, Jan 28 (Saba) -- Due to what Egyptian governorates saw of riots, law violation and acts of looting, plunder, arson and assaults on public and private properties including banks and hotels, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak issued a decree imposing curfew in Greater Cairo, Alexandria and Suez as of 6:00 pm on Friday to 7:00 am, which was later extended to include the entire country, Kuwait News Agency has reported.

Further, Egyptian President issued a decree that armed forces should keep security in cooperation with police apparatus in implementation of the previous decree, and to preserve security and protect public and private properties.

Consequently, the Egyptian armed forces started to deploy their troops in Greater Cairo, Alexandria and Suez as a first stage in implementation of the curfew decree, though cars of media people, ambulances and civil defense were excluded from the decree provided that they are on duty.

Fire broke out this evening at the headquarters of the National Democratic party (NDP) in downtown Cairo, according to the Egyptian TV.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian security source said that security authorities deal with the small cliques that try to violate law and the Egyptian TV quoted the same source as saying that security bodies are fully controlling the situation in all sites.

Another security source said that any movements that will violate public security or damage public and private properties will be strictly dealt with.

The same source said to the state channel of Nile News on Friday that protests started peacefully, though protesters clashed with the security forces in some areas.

Protests were staged in the Eygptian port city of Alexandria following the Friday congregational prayer in what led to clashes between protesters and security personnel who used tear gas bombs in order to disperse the gatherings.

The protects centered at public squares of Manshiya, Al-Raml station, Sidi Bisher, Sidi Jaber and Al-Asafra, while stores situated along the streets which saw protest closed down with citizens cheering slogans and some of them hurling stones at the security forces.

In Aswan governorate, governor Maj. Gen. Mustafa Al-Sayed asserted that security conditions are fully stable, noting there were some peaceful demonstrations in Edfu and Kom Ombo towns with the aim of expressing views under a security protection.

Al-Sayed added that there are no acts of violence or sabotage, noting that the number of people taking part in the demonstration amounted to some 200 in Aswan and about 200 in Kom Ombo, while there are some 300 protesters in Edfu, asserting that tourist influx is regular all over the governorate.

Further, Aswan's governor said that the officials have realized the messages that demonstrators wanted to convey to them, calling protesters not to resort to violence or sabotage in order not to give foreign satellite channels the opportunity to exaggerate or overstate.

He also asserted that there are positive decisions that will be made in the few coming days by government to respond to the masses' demands.

As for arrivals and departures at Cairo International Airport, they ran as regular and the movement of operating airlines in the airport was not affected by the disruption of internet and mobile services, according to an informed source at the airport.

The same source said that departure and arrival procedures of passengers ran normally, noting that reservations were not affected at Egypt Air office which uses a special reservation system called "Amadeus" in order to display its special reservation data to would-be travellers.

Thirty Arab and foreign flights left terminal 1 at Cairo Airport so far, while the movement of arrivals and departures is running as usual for Egypt Air, the national operator, at terminal three, and the same applies to other operators of Star alliance as well, the same source said.

Finally, the source said that situation room at the Civil Aviation authorities is working around the clock in order to follow up flights at Cairo airport and all other Egyptian airports.


Saba