An Egyptian protester describes what life is like in Cairo's Tahrir Square
Sunday, February 6, 2011
US disowns Egypt envoy comments
US special envoy Frank Wisner has said that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak should remain in power to oversee a transition to democracy.
The remarks appear to contradict previous US calls for Mr Mubarak to begin an immediate transition.
The state department has not yet commented.
Mr Wisner also welcomed the resignation of Egypt's ruling party politburo. Senior figures including Mr Mubarak's son Gamal have left their posts.
Hossam Badrawi, a reformer and top physician, took the post of head of the policies committee, held by Gamal, and that of secretary-general.
Protesters still occupy Cairo's Tahrir Square, but their numbers have fallen from Friday's huge rally.
Mr Wisner, a former ambassador in Egypt, was sent by US President Barack Obama to Cairo on Monday, apparently to urge Mr Mubarak to announce his departure.
"We need to get a national consensus around the pre-conditions for the next step forward. The president must stay in office to steer those changes," he told said in New York.
"I believe that President Mubarak's continued leadership is crucial - it's his chance to write his own legacy.
"He has given 60 years of his life to the service of his country, this is an ideal moment for him to show the way forward."
Mr Wisner urged people to control their rhetoric - the more Egyptians hear demands from outside the country for Mr Mubarak to stand down, he argued, the more it could have negative consequences.
On Friday Mr Obama urged the Egyptian president to make the "right decision", without explicitly saying he should step down.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-us-canada-12374753
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