I won't quit, says Mubarak as oppn deadline ends today

Ignoring today's deadline to step down, President Hosni Mubarak gave a clear indication that he will not do so immediately as it will bring "chaos" in Egypt as anti-government protesters started converging in central Cairo demanding an end to his 30-year rule.

Faced with three days of violent clashes between anti- and pro-government groups, security forces braced for a possible showdown as protesters intensified their campaign describing the deadline set for today as the 'day of departure' for the President.

Mubarak, 82, in an interview to ABC news, said he is "fed up" and wants to quit but fears that the nation will "sink in chaos" if he steps down at this stage.

"I am fed up. After 62 years in public service, I have had enough. I want to go," said Mubarak, who has made two tv broadcasts from his heavily guarded palace here since the unrest broke out on January 25, leaving over 300 dead and several hundreds injured.

"If I resign today, there will be chaos," he said on being asked about today's deadline by the protesters for him to quit power and leave the country.

"I don't care what people say about me. Right now I care about my country."

The President blamed opposition Muslim Brotherhood for the violence in Cairo and said "I was very unhappy (about violence)... I do not want to see Egyptians fighting each other."

On US President Barack Obama's apparent calls for his resignation, Mubarak said he told his American counterpart "You don't understand the Egyptian culture and what would happen if I step down now."

Mubarak dismissed speculation about his wanting to anoint his son Gamal when he relinquishes power.

"I would never run away... I will die on this soil," he said.

Amid the political turmoil, foreign journalists have become targets of rampaging mobs, mostly aligned with the embattled President.

Journalists became targets, beaten, bloodied, harassed and detained by raging men, most all in some way aligned with Mubarak, CNN, ABC News and other media outlets reported.

News channels reported that several journalists had been detained or forcibly kept confined to their hotels.

Protesters poured into the streets leading to the Tahrir Square -- the hub of anti-government demonstrations in the heart of Cairo, amid apprehensions of a bloody confrontation with armed pro-regime forces.