US PRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday appealed to Hosni Mubarak’s patriotism and desire to leave a positive legacy in calling on the Egyptian leader to embark on an “effective, lasting and legitimate” transition of power.
Mr Obama said he has spoken to Mr Mubarak twice since the crisis began, and that each time he “emphasised the future of Egypt is going to be in the hands of Egyptians”.
In recent days, the Obama administration has stepped up pressure on Mr Mubarak to depart quickly, proposing, among other solutions, that Mubarak resign immediately, leaving vice-president Omar Suleiman and the military to lead the country until presidential elections.
Mr Obama acknowledged that his administration was “consulting widely within Egypt and with the international community.”
He said he was “sending a strong and unequivocal message” that “attacks on reporters are unacceptable. Attacks on human rights activists are unacceptable. Attacks on peaceful protesters are unacceptable.” He said he was “encouraged by the restraint that was shown” yesterday.
“Going back to the old ways is not going to work,” Mr Obama said he had told Mr Mubarak.
“Suppression is not going to work. Engaging in violence is not going to work. Attempting to shut down information flows is not going to work.”
Shifting from the harsh tone that has characterised US statements of recent days, Mr Obama said he believed Mr Mubarak cared about his country. “He is proud, but he is also a patriot ... Having made that psychological break” [of deciding not to stand for re-election] Mubarak must ask himself: ‘How do I leave a legacy behind in which Egypt is able to get through this transformative period?’” Mr Obama said.
The US is relying on the Egyptian army to prevent the crisis escalating into civil war. More than 500 Egyptian officers are trained in the US every year, and US officials, from secretary of defence Robert Gates down, made numerous telephone calls to their Egyptian counterparts this week.
“In the discussions I’ve had with their military leadership, they’ve reassured me that they have no intent to fire on their own people,” said admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
Admiral Mullen spoke of the “relationship of great strength” fostered by $1.3 million in annual US military assistance for Egypt.
US experts have warned of the danger of the military splitting between high-ranking officers, who may side with Mr Mubarak, and the conscript army, whose sympathies seem to lie with the demonstrators.
Admiral Mullen cautioned against cutting military and economic aid to Mr Mubarak’s regime, as advocated by some congressmen, including the influential senators John McCain and Patrick Leahy. “That’s a pipeline that can easily be turned off,” Sen Leahy told Bloomberg Television this week.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been criticised for failing to foresee the crisis. Senator Diane Feinstein said the Senate intelligence committee, which she chairs, received no notice from the CIA of the unrest that was brewing in Egypt.
Stephanie O’Sullivan, associate deputy director of the CIA, said the agency knew the Egyptian government was in an “untenable” position but “didn’t know what the triggering mechanism would be.”