US President Barack Obama has said an orderly political transition “must begin now” in Egypt and lead to free and fair elections.<\/p>\n
His statement followed the announcement by Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak that he would not stand for re-election.
\nEarlier, the US had told Mr Mubarak not to stand for re-election nor to put forward his son, the BBC learned.
\nThe Obama adminstration’s message was carried to Cairo on Monday by former US Ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner.
\nThe White House had previously said it was not Mr Obama’s place to pick Egypt’s leader.
\nOn Tuesday night, Mr Mubarak – who has ruled Egypt for the past three decades – said he would not stand for re-election.
\nHowever, he said nothing about his son, Gamal Mubarak, whom he is seen as having positioned to be his successor.<\/p>\n
Mr Obama’s televised statement followed discussions with his national security advisers in Washington on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
While he did not say Mr Mubarak should stand down immediately, he said “an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now”.
\nMr Obama said he had spoken to the Egyptian leader after his announcement in Cairo and that Mr Mubarak recognised “that the status quo is not sustainable and a change must take place”.
\nThe US president praised Egypt’s military “for the professionalism and patriotism that it has shown thus far in allowing peaceful protests while protecting the Egyptian people” and urged it to continue that approach.
\nHe stressed that it was up to the Egyptian people to choose their leaders, and that the US would continue to offer support and friendship to them.
\nBBC state department correspondent Kim Ghattas, in Washington, says the US hopes Mr Mubarak has figured out on his own that he has got to go now, rather than stand down after the presidential election in September.
\nWashington has sought to make it clear that it understands the grievances of the Egyptian people, while also making clear it wants them to be able to pick their next leader, our correspondent says.
\n‘Step aside’
\nEarlier on Tuesday, US Senator John Kerry, a top Washington foreign policy voice, urged Mr Mubarak to pledge that neither he nor his son would stand in the presidential election.<\/p>\n