Egyptians rally to demand faster reforms (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Egyptians packed city centers across the country on Friday to demand faster reforms and voice frustration at what they regard as foot-dragging by military rulers and government officials.

Anger has been building among ordinary Egyptians and activists over the time taken to prosecute Hosni Mubarak and former officials charged with corruption and killing demonstrators during the uprising that toppled the president.

Most political organisations including the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most organised grouping, backed calls for the protest, called "The Revolution First," which took aim at Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who heads the ruling army council.

Cairo's Tahrir Square, center of the uprising in February, was decked with red, white and black Egyptian colors in one of the biggest rallies since Mubarak's downfall.

"We want to change the government and those in charge," said Ehab Mohamed Mahmoud, 36, who checked those entering the square.

"The Field Marshal as well. He is an integral part of the old regime," he added, referring to Tantawi who was Mubarak's defense minister for two decades.

Muslim Brotherhood members voiced more cautious demands.

"The enemies of the revolution are many. But the army and the people are one hand. We ask the army to speed up the legal procedures to try the corrupt," said Mohamed Ali, a Brotherhood member in Tahrir.

Analysts say the political group, harassed and repressed under Mubarak, is best positioned to benefit from the timetable for transition outlined by the army, with a parliamentary election in September.

Presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei, a former U.N. diplomat, told CNN there were some "unrealistic expectations" as Egyptians shook off decades of repression and he said it would take time to deliver wholesale change.

"But definitely there is no going back. At least people now are still poor, but they are free," he said. "They can go by the millions in the streets to demonstrate, and demonstrate peacefully ... It's a feeling that they are being empowered."

Former Arab League Secretary General, Amr Moussa, another presidential hopeful, joined the protesters in Tahrir.

Activists handed out surveys and one question read: "How do you assess the performance of the military council?" Some protesters showed off their forms where they had ticked a box saying: "Performance getting worse."

As with previous protests since Mubarak was ousted, activism combined with a festive mood. Children with faces painted in the Egyptian flag's colors joined their parents. As evening fell, numbers dwindled but some in Tahrir vowed to stay overnight.

There was no visible police or army presence.

PUNISHMENT

Many Egyptians believe the health problems reportedly afflicting Mubarak are a ploy by army generals to avoid bringing the former air force commander to trial.

Public frustration has also been fueled by court rulings this week clearing three former ministers of graft charges and another court decision to free on bail 10 policemen charged with killing demonstrators.

"Punishment for the killers of the martyrs," read one banner in Tahrir Square, referring to the killing during the 18-day uprising of more than 840 people, now known as "martyrs."

"Down with the Field Marshal," the crowd repeated as they were spurred on by one speaker.

Thousands of Egyptians gathered in other cities, including the Suez Canal cities of Suez and Ismailia, Alexandria on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh where Mubarak has been detained in a hospital since suffering heart problems during questioning in April.

"We oppose the military council and we demand Field Marshal Tantawi steps down immediately. The army is doing Mubarak's bidding and the revolution is faltering," said Mohamed Fahmy, leader from the Coalition of the Youth of the Revolution.

Gun shots rang out near Tahrir square and in Suez, witnesses said. A witness in Tahrir said it was not clear where the shots came from. In Suez, one of the most violent spots during the uprising, one protester was shot by a person who was caught shortly afterwards by protesters, a Reuters eyewitness said.

(Additional reporting by Sami Aboudi, Marwa Awad, Patrick Werr and Ashraf Fahim in Cairo, Abdel Rahman Youssef in Alexandria and Yusri Mohamed in Suez; editing by Edmund Blair, Sami Aboudi and Jon Hemming)

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Rival groups march over king's reforms in Morocco (Reuters)

CASABLANCA, Morocco (Reuters) – Thousands of rival demonstrators marched through cities in Morocco on Sunday over constitutional reforms proposed by King Mohammed after unrest inspired by "Arab Spring" uprisings in the Arab world.

Critics of the reforms say they do not go far enough to reduce his powers. The march against the monarch's measures was the latest in a wave of protests in the North African state and comes days before a July 1 referendum on the reform plan.

"We reject the offers made (by the king). They keep the essence of authority in the hands of a non-elected person who will not be subject to any form of accountability," said Hamid, a jobless 38-year-old among 7,000 protesters who marched through a working class suburb of Casablanca, Morocco's largest city.

Aziz Yaakoubi, a member of the "February 20" pro-democracy street movement named after its founding date, said two of the protesters were injured after being pelted with stones by a group of rival demonstrators in favor of the king's reform.

A smaller rally of about 2,000 people opposed to the king's proposals marched through the capital Rabat, separated from rival marchers by dozens of baton-wielding riot police.

"The police encircled us, they didn't let us march to the parliament," said Najib Chawki, one of the coordinators of the movement, which is urging supporters to boycott the vote. "It shows that the powers in Morocco have no interest in changing."

The 47-year-old king unveiled the reforms this month after some of the largest street protests the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty has seen for decades. His fortunes are being watched by other monarchs, notably in the Gulf.

PREACHERS TOLD TO BACK REFORM

The new charter still allows him to name a prime minister -- but this time only from the party that wins most seats at parliamentary elections -- and to vet appointments of other ministers and suggest the termination of their mandates.

It explicitly grants the government executive powers, but it keeps the king at the helm of the army, religious authorities and the judiciary and still allows him to dissolve parliament, though not unilaterally as it is the case now.

The Moroccan street movement has not won the mass support that toppled leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and does not demand an end to the monarchy. It focuses instead on the king's perceived growing business influence and his grip on the political system.

National income per head in Morocco was $2,810 in 2009, according to the World Bank, higher than Egypt's $2,070.

But Morocco ranks 13 places below Egypt at 117th in the United Nations' Human Development Index, a measure of quality of life based on factors such as child welfare and life expectancy.

"Surely there is graft and a lot of oppression. But the new constitution will change everything," said 19-year-old Casablanca resident Karim Azhari.

"It will bring state education up to the same level as the private sector and it will reduce unemployment," he said. Asked why he thought that, he replied: "That's what they tell us."

Authorities on Friday ordered mosque preachers to urge worshippers to vote for the reform, saying it would be unIslamic to disobey the king, described in sermons as "God's appointee."

Mustapha Nazih, a cleric at a pro-reform march in Casablanca organized by Boutchichiya Zawiya, one of Morocco's biggest and wealthiest sufi schools, said he had come all the way from the town of Beni Mellal, 300 km (190 miles) from Casablanca.

"We didn't have to pay for the bus fare. The Islamic Affairs Ministry asked us to come to Casablanca and we did so happily."

(Writing and additional reporting by Mark John in Rabat; Editing by Matthew Jones)

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Syria's Assad blames unrest on saboteurs, pledges reforms (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday "saboteurs" were behind unrest against his rule and that political accommodation could not be reached with gunmen.

In just his third speech since the demonstrations began four months ago, Assad appeared tense as he pledged to pursue a national dialogue on reform and held out the prospect of expanding a recent amnesty.

But he said: "We have to distinguish between (protesters, and others who have legitimate demands) and saboteurs. The saboteurs are a small group that tried to exploit the kind majority of the Syrian people to carry out their many schemes."

No political solution was possible with people carrying weapons, he said.

As Syrian forces swept through the northwestern border region with Turkey, blocking refugees fleeing a military crackdown, Assad called on the 10,000 who have already crossed the frontier to come home.

"There are those who give them the impression that the state will exact revenge, I affirm that is not true. The army is there for security," he said in the speech at Damascus University.

A committee on national dialogue will meet in the next few days and invite more than 100 personalities to discuss the criteria and mechanism for constitutional reform, he said. He set a one-month target date for presenting recommendations.

Syria's military operation along the Turkish border follows the biggest protests in four months of anti-Assad unrest on Friday which a violent clampdown has failed to quash.

Security forces shot dead up to 19 protesters on Friday, rights groups said.

In addition to the more than 10,000 Syrian refugees now in Turkey, a further 10,000 are sheltering close to the border just inside Syria in the olive groves and rich farmland around the town of Jisr al-Shughour, Turkish officials said.

But Syrian human rights campaigner Ammar al-Qurabi said the army was now stopping those still inside Syria from leaving.

"The Syrian army has spread around the border area to prevent frightened residents from fleeing across the border to Turkey," he told Reuters.

Qurabi also accused pro-government forces of attacking people trying to aid the refugees as they fled.

The violence so close to its border challenges Turkey's foreign policy of "zero problems with neighbors" that has seen it befriend the Middle East's autocratic rulers while presenting itself as a champion of democracy.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey has pledged to keep his borders open to refugees and has called the Syrian government crackdown "savagery," but beyond words, it is not clear whether Ankara's rapprochement with Damascus has earned Turkey any influence with Assad to halt the violence.

REFUGEES "FEAR GETTING SHOT"

Syrian troops and gunmen loyal to Assad seized the town of Bdama, only 2 km (1.2 miles) from Turkey on Saturday, burning houses and arresting dozens, witnesses said.

"There are roadblocks everywhere in Bdama to prevent people from fleeing but villagers are finding other routes through valleys to escape to the Turkish border," said Omar, a farmer from Bdama who managed to reach the border area.

"We received no bread today. There was one bakery operating in Bdama but it has been forced to shut. The 'shabbiha' (Assad's gunmen) are shooting randomly," one refugee, a carpenter who gave his name as Hammoud, told Reuters by telephone.

"One man in Bdama was injured today and we managed to smuggle him to hospital in Turkey. But many fear getting shot if they attempt to cross the border," the refugee added.

Faced with troops firing live ammunition, Syrian protesters have taken to venting their anger against Assad at night.

Demonstrations erupted overnight in the cities of Hama, Homs, Latakia, Deir al-Zor, the town of Madaya near the Lebanese border, several suburbs of the capital Damascus and in Albu Kamal on the border with Iraq, witnesses and activists said.

Authorities blame the violence on armed groups and Islamists, backed by foreign powers. Syria has barred most international journalists from entering the country, making it difficult to verify accounts from activists and officials.

Syrian rights groups say at least 1,300 civilians have been killed and 10,000 people detained since March.

The Syrian Observatory for human rights has said more than 300 soldiers and police have also been killed. Other rights campaigners said dozens of security personnel had been killed by loyalist troops for refusing to shoot at unarmed civilians.

Even so, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev practically ruled out supporting a U.N. resolution condemning Syria's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

In an interview published in the Financial Times on Monday, Medvedev criticized the way Western countries had interpreted U.N. resolution 1973 on Libya which he said turned it into "a scrap of paper to cover up a pointless military operation."

"I would not like a Syrian resolution to be pulled off in a similar manner," he added.

(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans in Beirut, Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Jon Hemming; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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Jordan's king declares reforms

Jordan's King Abdullah II has announced major political and economic reforms.He calls for a parliamentary government to be implemented"The Jordan of the future" includes democracy, justice and tolerance, he saysHis nationally televised address comes after six months of protests in the country

(CNN) -- Jordan's King Abdullah II announced sweeping reforms in a nationally televised address Sunday, promising to establish a parliamentary majority government -- a key demand of protesters calling for changes to the regime.

"Today, and on this occasion, we announce our reform vision for the Jordan of the future, in which democracy and popular participation take root as a consistent approach for the sake of building the Jordanian state, in which promoting justice is a purpose, tolerance is a mission and respect for human rights is the goal," Abdullah said.

As part of the announced reforms, Abdullah emphasized that the new law should "guarantee the fairness and transparency of the electoral process through a mechanism that will lead to a parliament with active political party representation; one that allows the formation of governments based on parliamentary majority and political party manifestos in the future."

The king also announced economic reforms, including changes to the country's tax system in order to "raise the level of competitiveness, enhance the atmosphere for investment, secure work opportunities for youth and maintain the state's active, observatory role in an open market economy."

It was not clear when the reforms would be implemented.

The address comes six months after protests broke out in the country. Most of them, unlike demonstrators in Arab countries that have seen uprisings, have not been seeking regime change but changes to the regime.

In February, Abdullah fired his prime minister and cabinet and instituted a number of economic measures and promises of political reform in an effort to appease those demands. But the protesters' list of demands grew longer as many Jordanians felt emboldened by the popular uprisings in the region.

Jordan's economy has been hit hard by the global downturn and rising commodity prices, and youth unemployment is high. Officials close to the palace have told CNN that Abdullah is trying to turn a regional upheaval into an opportunity for reform.

U.S. tycoon helps jobless in Mideast

In his speech Sunday, Abdullah sought to paint Jordanians as one family, "and as head of the family, I favor no one individual or group ... or differentiate between them," he said.

"I am one of you, and I am all for you," he said.

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Jordan King promises to speed democratic reforms (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) – Jordan's King Abdullah said on Sunday he was committed to pushing ahead with democratic reforms, but believed street pressure for change was a recipe for chaos.

The monarch, speaking in a televised speech marking his 12 years as ruler and ninety years of the state's creation, said he backed a new electoral law proposed by a government-appointed panel that would allow for a cabinet to be elected by a parliamentary majority rather than being chosen by him.

"We hope these recommendations ensure a modern electoral law that leads to a parliament that is representative of all Jordanians," he said.

Parliaments are currently elected under laws that ensure a pliant pro-government assembly composed of tribal loyalists.

The Islamist-led opposition has expressed disappointment over the limited nature of the reforms proposed by the committee that they boycotted and which came after weeks of street protests earlier this year calling for political changes.

The proposals unveiled last week keep intact a gross underrepresentation of Jordan's cities, mostly inhabited by Palestinians, to ensure a dominance by rural, sparsely populated tribal areas over the large cities, including the capital which have long been the opposition Islamist strongholds.

"As we witness the changes in the region, this demands making a difference between the required democratic changes and between the dangers of chaos and (fitna) sedition on the other," he said.

The Hashemite monarchy is viewed as an arbiter among feuding tribes and a unifying force that holds together the country's two main competing groups, East Bank native Jordanians and their countrymen of Palestinian origin.

The monarch has faced pressures for reforms by a broad calls from the Islamists, the country's largest political force to leftists and tribal figures, to relinquish his extensive powers, ranging from appointing cabinets to dissolving parliament.

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, the largest political party, and liberal politicians alongside opposition tribal figures say political freedoms in Jordan have been eroded in recent years and accuse the authorities of resisting change.

The monarch defended his reformist credentials since he ascended the throne in 1999, saying he had long pushed for reforms which he has long accused vested interests within the establishment of derailing.

King Abdullah said he wanted a empowered legislature and amendments to the constitution that would usher greater political rights but could not accept reform pressures from unnamed radical groups that agitated through street protests.

"Our reformist vision is through speedy reforms that respond to our peoples desires... away from recourse to the street and the absence of reason," he said.

The kingdom has not seen the turmoil that has spread across the Arab world since January, leading to the overthrow of long-time regimes in Tunisia and Egypt as well as clashes in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain.

(Writing by Suleimen al-Khalidi; Editing Matthew Jones)

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