U.S. President Barack Obama has told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that the status quo is not sustainable, and that an orderly and peaceful transition must begin immediately.
The President's statement came after a long day in which he and his security team monitored developments in Egypt, and watched President Mubarak's televised speech in the Situation Room. In that address, President Mubarak announced he would not seek another term but declined to step down immediately.
The President had a 30-minute telephone conversation with Mr. Mubarak after that address, the second known conversation between them in less than a week. While he stopped short of calling for Mr. Mubarak to step down, Mr. Obama said the process of change needs to begin immediately. "After his speech tonight I spoke directly to President Mubarak. He recognizes that the status quo is not sustainable and that a change must take place," he said.
Egyptians, President Obama said, must be the ones to chart the way forward. "It is not the role of any other country to determine Egypt's leaders. Only the Egyptian people can do that. What is clear, and what I indicated tonight to President Mubarak, is my believe that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must peaceful, and it must begin now," he said.
The President said the U.S. will continue to extend a hand of partnership to Egypt and its people as, in his words, they manage the aftermath of protests, VOA News reported.
