Manawi publishes the ‘secrets’ of the revolution

Former head of news in the Egyptian TV, Abdel Latif Manawi, recently published his new book “Last Days of Mubarak’s Regime - 18 days - Secrets of the Presidential Palace and Backstage Maspero”. The book includes a text of the phone conversation between ousted President Mubarak and Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who was Minister of Defence at the time and has been leading the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) since February 2011. According to Manawi’s book, Mubarak informed Tantawi on the phone that he decided to delegate authorities to him and the army. Whereas Tantawi refused at the time, saying that there would surely be another solutions, Mubarak apparently insisted and told him to arrange with Omar Suleiman, Vice-President at the time and former chief of Egyptian Intelligence, to announce his resignation.. Manawi pointed in his book that Mubarak travelled to Sharm El Sheikh early on February 11, the day he stepped down, and was later followed by his sons, Gamal and Alaa, their wives, and Suzanne Mubarak. The book also reports what is believed to be the last phone conversation between Mubarak and Tantawi, without revealing the source, where the author saus that as soon as the ousted president reached Sharm el Sheikh, he called Tantawi to inform him of being in charge. He further stated that Field Marshal Tantawi and Suleiman prepared the stepping-down speech, which was meant to be brief upon Mubarak’s request. Manawi’s book was recently published by the Egyptian-Lebanese publishing house, in two editions, one in Arabic and another in English. The book also includes “secret details” on what happened in the presidential palace in the period from January 25, 2011 (the day the revolution sparkled) to February 2011  (the day Mubarak stepped down).