''Go home for dialogue to begin'': Egypt VP tells protesters

Rania

Cairo, Feb 2 (PTI) With the streets of Cairo turningbloody, Egypt''s new vice president appealed to the protesterstoday to end their nine-day demonstration and go home to let apolitical dialogue for the future begin.

Central Cairo was a scene of chaos today as violentclashes broke out between pro- and anti-governmentdemonstrators, and over 400 persons were injured.

Omar Suleiman, former intelligence chief and now theVice President called on protesters to respect the curfew andreturn to their homes, the state media reported.

"Dialogue with the political (opposition) forces...

requires that the demonstrations end and the Egyptian streetreturns to normal," he said.

Suleiman asked all Egyptians "to return to their homesand abide by the curfew to boost the authorities'' efforts inrestoring calm and stability and limit the damage and lossesthe demonstrations had caused Egypt since they erupted lastweek."

The Egyptian Army had earlier issued a similarstatement, with a military spokesman asking the protesters todisperse so that life in the most populous Arab nation couldget back to normal.

The protesters have been unrelenting for over a weeknow, and thousands of them have defied night curfews to campat the Tahrir Square to demand President Hosni Mubarak''souster.

A defiant President had appeared on state televisionyesterday and said he would not seek another term in Septemberbut would neither quit immediately.

The announcement agitated the protesters who said theywould accept nothing but his immediate departure. PTI