Mr ElBaradei confirmed he had held discussions with government figures on Tuesday but had refused to take part in any talks based on Mr Mubarak staying in office as president. He held up as a reason yesterday's violence on Tahrir Square as well as the government's response to protests last week. "When you see some of the young demonstrators detained, 500 people detained still, some appearing as corpses at hospitals, how do you expect me to negotiate with a bunch of thugs?" he asked.