Full text of Mubarak's speech

Below is a full translation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's speech Thursday night:

In the name of God the most gracious, the most compassionate.

Dear citizens, my sons, the youths of Egypt, today I am directing my speech to the youth of Egypt, those who are in there in Tahrir Square and the vast areas of the country

I'm addressing you today out of a true and an honest heart from a father to his sons and daughters, and I'm telling you that I really cherish you as a symbol for a new generation for Egypt who are calling for change for the better, and are adamant to achieve this change for a better future.

I'm telling you here before anything else, that the blood of the victims will not go unpunished. And at the same time, as I said here, that I will follow all those perpetrators who have afflicted those crimes with full sense of decisiveness. Those who had committed those crimes are going to be punished severely. And families of those victims, that I really felt the pain, I felt that I was in your boots, and my heart really felt for what really happened.

I tell you that I'm actually opting to satisfy your demands and I am fully determined to fulfill my promise with a full sense of perseverance and honesty and out of a sense of keenness of carrying out the demands without taking any steps backwards. This sense of abiding comes from a sense of convincing from your honest demands and your honest movement, and that those demands are legitimate demands.

Mistakes can happen in any political system and in any country, but at the same time, the most important is to recognize them and trying to put things on the right track as quick as possible, and to punish those who commit crimes. And I tell you here, as a head of state, I do not find any embarrassment at all in listening to the youth of my country, and to satisfying their demands. But the embarrassment would only lie in the fact -- and I would never permit -- is that I would listen to any sort of intervention that would come from outside, from the outside world, whatever the source is, whatever the intention behind them are.

Dear youth of Egypt, dear citizens, I had already announced before that I am not going to run in the upcoming presidential elections. I have already given a lot to this country for more than 60 years of my effort, whether during the years of war or years of peace, and I am going to adhere to this decision, and at the same time adhere to the decision of shouldering the responsibility in defending the constitution and the national interest of the people until the transfer of power and the transfer of responsibility, which is going to be to the one that the people will choose as their leader in transparent and free elections where guarantees are going to be there for full transparency and for freedom.

This is the offer that I undertook before Allah almighty and the people and I'm going to keep my promise so that we would put Egypt on a path of security and stability, and would already out a perspective for coming out of this crisis and to satisfy the demands of the youth and the people in a way that respects the constitutional legitimacy and would not restrict it in any way. And at the same time put a framework for a peaceful transition of power through respectful dialogue between the different political parties of Egypt and with a sense of honesty and transparency.

I have put all those perspectives on the table and out of a sense of commitment of carrying the nation out of this critical juncture and I'm following up on the steps held day by day, hour by hour, if I can say, looking forward to the full support of all those who are really keen on Egypt and the Egyptian people so that we would succeed in translating it to action on solid ground, according to a national reconciliation that has strong bases, and that the armed forces with full due respect, can stop and initiate a national dialogue that includes the youth of Egypt and all of the different political parties. And this national dialogue can result in a near sense of consensus that is going to put our feet on a way out of this crisis. We need to continue this sense of dialogue, so that we would go further from the main guidelines into a roadmap that is quite crystal clear and that has a timetable to achieve those issues.

We are moving day after day on the path of a peaceful transfer of power from now until next September. This nation has already agreed that a committee will be held to study the different constitutional elements and all the requirements that would make those constitutional elements. Also an investigative committee will be held to take care of the follow-up of what I had promised the people. I was very keen that those two committees of people who are known among Egyptians as honest brokers, the constitutional leaders of Egypt. and members of the judiciary. In addition to that, and owing to the victims that we have lost in miserable circumstances, that really made us feel the pain and really shake the conscience of the nation, and I have given my directives that the investigations will be carried out very quickly concerning the issues that happened last week and that the results would be set up with the prosecutor general's office to take the necessary measures regarding this issue.

Yesterday I had received a preliminary report concerning the constitutional amendments that are of priority at this stage, as suggested by the committee that we have established. And in accordance to the suggestions that have been presented, and in accordance to my legislative and constitutional powers, according to Article 189 of the Egyptian Constitution, I have already presented the demand of six articles of the Egyptian Constitution 76, 77, 88, 93, and 198 this in addition to abolishing Article 179, this in addition also to expecting a sense of preparedness to adding other amendments to the constitution.

Those constitutional amendments in the first place will facilitate the procedures for the presidency, and would put a certain term for the presidency, and would also ensure that the judiciary would supervise the upcoming presidential election. The judiciary is also going to deal with the issue of the legitimacy of the members of parliament. And the suggestion to abolish Article 179 was maybe a way to achieve a sense of balance between protecting the nation from the dangers of terrorism and at the same time respecting legitimacy and civil freedom of the citizens in a way that is going to open the door further to abolishing the emergency law until when the situation permits in the country.

Dear citizens, the priority right now is regaining the sense of confidence in Egyptians and a sense of trust in our economy, our reputation. Change and transfer that we have already started and that is not going to bring us any sort of step backwards. Egypt is passing through a critical juncture. We should not ever permit that this is going to continue because this affects negatively our economy. Negative repercussions on our economy day after day would lead to a situation where we find those youth who had called for change, they would really be endangered out of the movement. This critical juncture is not at all co-relevant to me personally, it's not co-relevant to Hosni Mubarak, but now Egypt is a top priority. It's present, it's future, the future of the coming generations, all of the Egyptian people now are all in one boat, in one corner, and we have to continue the national dialogue that we have already started with the spirit of a team and away from any sense of animosity and any sense of differences. So that we would overcome this critical juncture, and so that we would regain confidence in our economy and we would retain security and stability on the Egyptian street.

I used to be exactly like the Egyptian youth when I was honored to be part of the military, and the sense of loyalty and providing sacrifices for my country. I have spent my life safeguarding the interests of the nation, witnessed wars, and witnessed victories, and I had already lived the years of occupation, I lived also the moments of crossing and the moments of victory. The best moment of my life was when I put the Egyptian flag on Sinai, and I had already endangered my life for the sake of the country. I had never ever been accepting any sort of foreign intervention in Egyptian affairs. I've retained Egyptian security, I exerted efforts for the sake of its people, for the sake of Egyptian civilization, I did not seek any type of forced popularity and I am quite confident that the majority of the Egyptian people know who Hosni Mubarak is.

So Egypt is a top priority now.

So I thought I would delegate powers to the vice president, according to the constitution, stipulations of the constitution I know quite well that Egypt, while fighting should try to go out of this juncture, but at the same time the determination of the people is going to help Egypt across this juncture through the perseverance, the honesty of its people, and is going to be above all.

We are going to prove that we the Egyptians, our sense of awareness, of the demands of its people through a national dialogue, through the wise dialogue, we're going to prove that we are not followers to anybody, we're not going to take instructions from anybody, and no one is going to take decisions on our behalf, except only the rhythm of the street and the demands of the people.

We are going to prove this with a sense of determination of the Egyptian people, and with the sense of unity and solidarity of its people and by putting Egypt's pride and dignity above all, and preserving our identity, which is the main essence of our presence for more than 7,000 years of civilization.

The spirit is going to live in us as Egypt is going to long live, with its peasants, with its laborers, with its intellectuals, and its going to be in the hearts of our elderly, in the hearts of our youth, the hearts also, of our kids, and the hearts of Copts and Muslims and all of those who are going to live on this soil.

Once again, I say that I have lived for the sake of this country. I have shouldered the responsibility with honesty, and Egypt is going to live above all until I deliver and transfer the responsibility. Egypt will continue to be in my heart until I die and Egypt's people will always be living with pride, with dignity, to the end.

God bless Egypt. God bless Egypt, a country of security and stability. God bless the Egyptians, with wise decisions for the sake of their nation.

Thank you.