Mubarak won't seek new term; go now, crowds shout
WASHINGTON: The United States warned Tuesday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's offer to quit after September elections may be insufficient, as President Barack Obama prepared to speak on the crisis.
Obama spent 80 minutes with his national security team plotting the next US move in the crisis, after nudging Mubarak to accept the end of his 30-year strongman rule, as a million Egyptian street protesters demanded his ouster.
The president watched Mubarak tell the Egyptian people he would not run for reelection in September on television in the White House Situation Room, and planned to make his own on-camera comments around 6:30 pm (2330 GMT).
In a first reaction to Mubarak's comments, a US official told AFP the Egyptian president's concession was "significant" in that it envisaged a transition to another government, but may not go far enough.
"The president's announcement is significant, but the question is whether it will satisfy the demands of the people in Liberation Square," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official was clearly sensitive to scenes in Cairo following Mubarak's address, in which he vowed to die in Egypt and not flee the country.
A huge crowd of angry protesters booed and chanted "leave, leave" making clear that the president's concession would not end days of rage across the country.
Mubarak's gambit unfolded under prodding from Obama relayed in Cairo by veteran US diplomatic troubleshooter Frank Wisner.
Wisner told the Egyptian leader it would be best if he did not seek a new term in the upcoming elections, an official said. The New York Times said however that Obama did not call on Mubarak to go immediately.
The move, the most overt US intervention in the crisis so far, did not end the Obama administration's dilemma, leaving it still torn between protesters who want Mubarak out now, and a fading autocrat central to US diplomacy for decades.
US Ambassador to ! Cairo Ma rgaret Scobey earlier spoke to top Egyptian dissident Mohamed ElBaradei for the first time since he flew back to Egypt as public unrest left Mubarak clinging to power.
Scobey's conversation with ElBaradei, who has become the leading public critic of the Mubarak government, came as part of her outreach to various opposition groups.
A US official said she delivered a message to ElBaradei echoing that made by the Obama administration in public: Washington wants a political transition but will not seek to dictate Egypt's political future.
On Sunday, ElBaradei had sharp criticism for the carefully calibrated US stance on the protests rocking a government that has been a stalwart US ally for decades at the center of its Middle East diplomacy.
"You are losing credibility by the day. On one hand you're talking about democracy, rule of law and human rights, and on the other hand you're lending still your support to a dictator that continues to oppress his people," ElBaradei told CBS from Cairo.
The United States has warned the Egyptian government to refrain from using force against demonstrators and stressed their right to express their universal aspirations for freedom of expression.
Washington meanwhile ordered the departure of all non-emergency US government staff from Egypt amid days of protests against Mubarak.
"The Department of State will continue to facilitate the evacuation of US citizens who require assistance," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in announcing the move.
He said the departure was ordered "in light of recent events."
Obama spent 80 minutes with his national security team plotting the next US move in the crisis, after nudging Mubarak to accept the end of his 30-year strongman rule, as a million Egyptian street protesters demanded his ouster.
The president watched Mubarak tell the Egyptian people he would not run for reelection in September on television in the White House Situation Room, and planned to make his own on-camera comments around 6:30 pm (2330 GMT).
In a first reaction to Mubarak's comments, a US official told AFP the Egyptian president's concession was "significant" in that it envisaged a transition to another government, but may not go far enough.
"The president's announcement is significant, but the question is whether it will satisfy the demands of the people in Liberation Square," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official was clearly sensitive to scenes in Cairo following Mubarak's address, in which he vowed to die in Egypt and not flee the country.
A huge crowd of angry protesters booed and chanted "leave, leave" making clear that the president's concession would not end days of rage across the country.
Mubarak's gambit unfolded under prodding from Obama relayed in Cairo by veteran US diplomatic troubleshooter Frank Wisner.
Wisner told the Egyptian leader it would be best if he did not seek a new term in the upcoming elections, an official said. The New York Times said however that Obama did not call on Mubarak to go immediately.
The move, the most overt US intervention in the crisis so far, did not end the Obama administration's dilemma, leaving it still torn between protesters who want Mubarak out now, and a fading autocrat central to US diplomacy for decades.
US Ambassador to ! Cairo Ma rgaret Scobey earlier spoke to top Egyptian dissident Mohamed ElBaradei for the first time since he flew back to Egypt as public unrest left Mubarak clinging to power.
Scobey's conversation with ElBaradei, who has become the leading public critic of the Mubarak government, came as part of her outreach to various opposition groups.
A US official said she delivered a message to ElBaradei echoing that made by the Obama administration in public: Washington wants a political transition but will not seek to dictate Egypt's political future.
On Sunday, ElBaradei had sharp criticism for the carefully calibrated US stance on the protests rocking a government that has been a stalwart US ally for decades at the center of its Middle East diplomacy.
"You are losing credibility by the day. On one hand you're talking about democracy, rule of law and human rights, and on the other hand you're lending still your support to a dictator that continues to oppress his people," ElBaradei told CBS from Cairo.
The United States has warned the Egyptian government to refrain from using force against demonstrators and stressed their right to express their universal aspirations for freedom of expression.
Washington meanwhile ordered the departure of all non-emergency US government staff from Egypt amid days of protests against Mubarak.
"The Department of State will continue to facilitate the evacuation of US citizens who require assistance," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in announcing the move.
He said the departure was ordered "in light of recent events."
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