Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the National Association for Change (NAC) and a potential candidate for the 2011 presidential election, called for the Egyptian regime to allow a peaceful transition of power to avoid a repetition of the Tunisian scenario in Egypt.
In a message on Twitter, ElBaradei said that the violence in Tunisia is a response to suppression.
He said the Egyptian regime must understand that peaceful change is the only way to avoid painful repercussions.
News reports had said that Egyptian authorities have taken precautionary measures to preempt the possibility of repercussions such as those currently sweeping a number of Arab countries.
President Hosni Mubarak held a closed-door meeting with the National Defense Council (NDC) on Saturday, Qatar-based satellite television network Al Jazeera reported. According to Al Jazeera, the NDC has decided on a number of “precautionary measures to avoid provoking citizens in the coming period,” including the postponement of any planned “price hikes or new taxes."
Egypt's Constitution stipulates that the NDC as the president's principal advisory body for all matters relating to national security. The council is comprised of the president, the ministers of defense, interior and foreign affairs, the director of general intelligence, and a number of other top officials.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, meanwhile, ruled out the possibility of Tunisian-style revolutions in other Arab countries. He said that fears of the uprising spreading are just "nonsense".
"Those who have such illusions and attempt to add fuel to the flames will not achieve their objectives and will themselves be harmed."
He further said that some satellite channels seek to increase tensions in Arabic countries, adding that these are either Western channels or those serving Western interests.
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