US president Barack Obama tonight urged Egypt’s president Hosni Mubarak to heed the call of the Egyptian people for an orderly transition of power.
In two conversations with the 82-year-old Egyptian leader since protest began 11 days ago,
Mr Obama said he told Mubarak that "going back to the old ways is not going to work."
Speaking at a White House news conference, he said whether Mr Mubarak leaves office immediately was up to the Egyptian people.
He said he recommended that Mubarak consult his advisers and "listen to what's being voiced by the Egyptian people" protesting in the streets. "My hope is he will make the right decision," Mr Obama said.
Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians marched peacefully in Cairo today to demand an immediate end to Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule. Turnout nationwide seemed short of the million seen on Tuesday and which leaders had hoped to match on what they called "Departure Day".
Many Egyptians, weary of disorder, feel Mr Mubarak did enough this week by pledging to step down in September. Some also were wary of renewed violence by shadowy Mubarak loyalists.
On the 11th day of unprecedented massive protests which have revolutionised Egypt and the wider Arab world, some 200,000 men and women from all walks of life streamed past patient soldiers to the capital's Tahrir, or Liberation, Square.
A similar number marched in the second city of Alexandria and smaller pro-democracy rallies were held elsewhere.
"Leave! Leave! Leave!" crowds chanted after prayers on the square in Cairo. A cleric praised the "revolution of the young" and declared: "We want the head of the regime removed."
Yet for all the enthusiasm on the streets, and new-found tolerance by the army, Mr Mubarak's fate, and that of a 60-year-old system of military-backed rule, lies as much in bargains struck behind the scenes among generals keen to retain influence and Western officials anxious not to see a key Arab ally against radical Muslims slide into chaos or be taken over by Islamists.
European Union leaders called on Egyptian authorities to meet the aspirations of their people with "reform not repression" today and said the transfer of power to a broad-based government must begin immediately.
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton is expected to head to Cairo in the coming days to meet Vice President Omar Suleiman and examine how Europe can support the transition process, including preparations for free and fair elections.
"The European Council is following with utmost concern the deteriorating situation in Egypt," the union's 27 leaders said in a joint statement issued during a summit in Brussels. "All parties should show restraint and avoid further violence and begin an orderly transition to a broad-based government. This transition process must start now."
Mr Mubarak said last night he was "fed up" but would not stand down because that would create chaos.
A handful of prominent figures from academia and business said they proposed a compromise under which newly appointed vice president Omar Suleiman, a former intelligence chief who has the confidence of Washington, should take over real authority while Mr Mubarak could serve out his fifth term as a figurehead leader.
Away from the square, groups of Mubarak loyalists harassed journalists. Some attacked the offices of Al Jazeera television. Others tried to deter people from demonstrating. But there was little of the extreme violence seen on Wednesday and yesterday.
Earlier, the veteran defence minister visited the square, inspecting troops who were out in force promising to protect demonstrators after the bloodshed of previous days.
Some demonstrators said they understood a need for patience, but would keep up the pressure: "He's bound to leave now, the only question is when," said Khaled al-Khamisi. "I think the army does not want to see him humiliated."
In a reminder of how events in Egypt are linked to a wider confrontation between Islamists and Western powers in the oil-rich Middle East, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed an "Islamic liberation movement" in Egypt.
US officials said they were discussing with Egyptians a number of options to begin a handover of power that would keep Egypt stable. Though president Barack Obama has called publicly only for an immediate start to "transition", one option, a US official said, was for Mr Mubarak to be replaced right away.
Mr Mubarak and ministers in the government he appointed a week ago in response to the protests insist stability is better and have appealed over the heads of the marchers to a wider public.
"More than 95 per cent of the Egyptian people would vote for the president to complete his presidential term ... and not (retire) now as America and some Western states want," new prime minister Ahmed Shafiq was quoted as saying by state media.
Mr Shafiq's team have taken pains to try to present a moderate face to the public, apologising for violence by pro-Mubarak groups this week and pledging to provide order and democracy.
The long-banned Muslim Brotherhood has sought to allay Western and Israeli concerns about its potential to take power in a free vote. A day after vice president Suleiman broke ground by saying the Brotherhood was welcome to join a national dialogue, it said it would not seek the presidency.
Liberal figurehead Mohamed ElBaradei, a retired UN diplomat, said he too did not seek the top job, but repeated he was willing to help in a transition if Mr Mubarak resigned now.
Reuters