US urges reforms for Egyptians

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Stepping up pressure on a stalwart but flawed Middle East ally, President Barack Obama said he personally told Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak on Friday night to take “concrete steps” to expand rights inside the Arab nation and refrain from violence against protesters flooding the streets of Cairo and other cities.

“Surely, there will be difficult days to come, but the United States will continue to stand up for the rights of the Egyptian people and work with their government in pursuit of a future that is more just, more free and more hopeful,” Obama said he told the longtime leader in a phone call from the White House.

The president made his comments on television shortly after he and Mubarak spoke.

The conversation followed closely a middle-of-the-night TV speech in which Mubarak, in Cairo, announced he was sacking his government to form a new one that would accelerate reforms. At the same time, he said, violence by protesters would not be tolerated.

Obama’s remarks capped a day in which his administration struggled to keep abreast of developments in Egypt, where Mubarak ordered police and then the military into the streets in response to protests.

Before Obama spoke, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs announced the administration might cut the $1.5 billion in annual foreign aid sent to Egypt, depending on Mubarak’s response to the demonstrations.

Obama also repeated demands by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Egypt’s government to restore access to the Internet and social-media sites, cut by the authorities in an apparent attempt to limit the flow of information about the protests demanding an end to Mubarak’s rule.

Obama noted the United States and Egypt have a close partnership, a reference to Mubarak’s support over the years for peace with Israel.