Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak pledged on Tuesday that he would not stand for re-election in September, in an address to the nation that came after eight days of anti-government demonstrations.

"In all sincerity, regardless of the current circumstances, I never intended to be a candidate for another term," he said.

U.S. President Barack Obama has told his beleaguered Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak not to stand for re-election in upcoming September balloting, the New York Times said Tuesday.

The message from Obama was conveyed by former U.S. ambassador to Egypt, Frank Wisner, who was dispatched to Cairo on Monday by the U.S. administration, the influential U.S. daily said, quoting American diplomats.

France urged Egypt on Tuesday to end the "bloodshed" that has left as many as 300 people dead in anti-government protests there.

"That must stop," French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters. "The blood must stop flowing. There have been too many deaths, too many wounded."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday to meet his people's "desire for change" as he voiced support for democratic reform in the whole Middle East.

Erdogan also postponed an upcoming visit to Egypt because of the turmoil gripping the country.

The United Nations cultural organization urged Egyptian authorities and protesters Tuesday to protect the country's heritage and respect freedom of expression during the ongoing political crisis.

There have been reports of a looting attempt at Cairo's renowned Egyptian Museum and other historical sites, as well as of citizens taking it upon themselves to set up a cordon to protect their nation's heritage.

The last of Egypt's main Internet service providers, the Noor Group, has gone dark.

The Noor Group had remained online even after Egypt's four main Internet providers — Link Egypt, Vodafone/Raya, Telecom Egypt, Etisalat Misr — abruptly stopped shuttling Internet traffic into and out of the country Friday morning.

No negotiations before Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak steps down, announced Egypt's Opposition as several hundred thousand anti-regime protesters flooded Cairo's Tahrir square on Tuesday for a hoped-for million-strong march against embattled President Hosni Mubarak.

The committee "will not enter into negotiations until the President of the Republic leaves," said a statement signed by several prominent opposition figures, including Mohammed ElBaradei, who is emerging as a leader of anti-regime protests, and former presidential candidate Ayman Nour

Lebanon's recent political turmoil is likely to scare off Western travelers although Beirut has repeatedly proven its resilience, emerging from civil war and conflict with Israel to rebuild and live up to its image as the "Switzerland of the Middle East," the Associated Press reported.

"People's memories are surprisingly short," says Janet Moore, owner of Distant Horizons, a Long Beach, California, travel agency specializing in the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned of the dangers of an Iranian-style regime arising out of the political chaos sweeping through Egypt.

"In a time of chaos, an organized Islamic group can take over the state. It happened in Iran and it also happened in other places," the Israeli leader said at a press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Egypt's new Vice President Omar Suleiman said on Monday that President Hosni Mubarak had tasked him with opening "immediate" dialogue with the opposition amid raging protests against the regime.

"President Hosni Mubarak has tasked me with opening immediate talks with the political forces to begin a dialogue around all the issues concerning constitutional and legislative reforms," Suleiman said on state television.