White House warns $1.5bn aid to Egypt could be withdrawn

Robert Gibbs calls on President Hosni Mubarak to address ‘legitimate grievances’ of protesters Barack Obama has warned the Egyptian leader, Hosni Mubarak, that he must reform his regime and refrain from violence against protesters. But the US president’s message suggested that Washington will go on supporting its longstanding ally for now. Obama said that he spoke to Mubarak and asked him to turn “a moment of volatility in to a moment of promise,” after the Egyptian leader addressed his nation to say he would replace his government but not tolerate what he called a continued threat to the security of the country from protesters demanding his resignation. “When President Mubarak addressed the Egyptian people tonight he pledged a better democracy and greater economic opportunity,” said Obama. “I told him he has a responsibility to give meaning to those words. To take concrete steps and actions that deliver on that promise. Violence will not address the grievances of the Egyptian people and suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. “What’s needed right now are concrete steps that advance the rights of the Egyptian people; a meaningful dialogue between the government and its citizens and a path of political change that leads to a future of greater freedom and greater opportunity and justice for the Egyptian people.” Obama demanded an end to violence against the protesters after a day of clashes on the streets of Cairo, Suez and other cities left 25 people dead and hundreds wounded. The US president also called on the Egyptian government to restore mobile phone and internet connections it has severed apparently in an attempt to hinder the protesters from organising. But Obama, while pressing for political reform, held back from a call for legitimate elections amid fears in the US and among its allies in other parts of the Middle East, including Israel and Jordan, of political power shifting to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. Instead, the White House appears to be looking for reform that will keep the present power structure in place. But it has added to the pressure on Mubarak by saying it is reviewing its $1.5bn (£946m) in annual aid to Egypt, most of it military. The White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said continued assistance would in part depend on how the military behaves in the face of the protests. “We will be reviewing our assistance posture based on the outcome of events, now and in the coming days,” he said. Asked if the US government had condemned the placing of the opposition activist, Mohamed ElBaradei, under house arrest, Gibbs said: “Obviously, this goes in to our concern about expression, association and assembly.” Gibbs was also asked about reports that the British company, Vodafone, was responsible for cutting mobile phone access in Egypt on government orders. He said repeated a call for mobile and internet services to be restored but would not be drawn on whether the US would pressure Vodafone directly. “I don’t want to speak about the specific company because I want a little more information,” he said. Egypt US foreign policy Protest Middle East United States Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk

Posted by on January 29, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry