Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday said in an interview with ABC News that he wants to leave office now, but cannot for fear the country will sink deeper into chaos. The embattled leader added that he is troubled by deadly violence between anti- and pro-government camps in Cairo's Tahrir Square and that the government is not responsible for it.
In the interview, Mubarak blamed the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood for the violence. According to him, he will not run for office again after his term ends this year.
When asked about the people who are shouting insults about him, he said, "I don't care what people say about me. Right now I care about my country, I care about Egypt."
The Egyptian leader described President Obama as a "very good man." When asked how he responded to the United States' calls for him to step aside sooner rather than later, he said he told President Obama, "You don't understand the Egyptian culture and what would happen if I step down now." He added "I never intended to run again. I never intended Gamal to be President after me."
