CAIRO - Like many Egyptians, the well-known writer and journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal is delighted that Hosni Mubarak has resigned, describing this phase as the most crucial ever in Egypt's history. “This moment is full of hopes and worries, but I'm not worried about Mubarak's decision, as this has happened many times around the world. The most important thing is that young people in Egypt expressed their opinion and eventually achieved a great victory,” he says. On February 11, Vice President Omar Suleiman announced that Mubarak had resigned as Egyptian President, following massive protests that had lasted nearly three weeks. Suleiman also announced that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces would be in charge of the country until a new civilian government can be elected after new elections. However, some people claim that Mubarak was forced to resign, arguing that this is something degrading for a man who served Egypt for 30 years. But many others welcomed his decision, as they have suffered so much from suppression and corruption, with nobody to help them. “What happened wasn't a military coup, but a real revolution that included Egyptians of every hue,” says Heikal, stressing that the role of the Armed Forces is to ensure legitimacy, while the key task for the military is to enforce the law. Heikal was not on good terms with Mubarak for many years. “No two revolutions are ever the same and this is the first revolution in Egypt launched by technology. It's different from the revolution in Tunisia, but the purpose is to improve the lives of the people,” Heikal, a confidant of late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, said in an interview on private Dream TV. As for the difference between a revolution and a coup, Heikal says that it's a revolution when the people join in with the Army. “Mubarak failed to respond to the Egyptians' legitimate demands, which should have been handled promptly and wisely,” added Heikal, who recalled Mubarak telling him in 1982: “If I get fed up with this country, I will let the Armed Forces do the job for me.”
