The Telegraph
Egypt crisis: 17 days of fluctuating US messages
The US has seemed constantly behind with the Egypt developments. Here is a timeline of their response from January 25.
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1:29PM GMT 11 Feb 2011
Day 1 – Tuesday, Jan. 25:
– Protests begin in Egypt on the day Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address to Congress. He does not mention Egypt but does refer to protests in Tunisia and says the United States "supports the democratic aspirations of all people". Hillary Clinton, secretary of state, gives the first high-level US response, saying, "Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people."
Day 2 – Wednesday, Jan. 26:
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, is asked whether the United States still backs Hosni Mubarak. His response: "Egypt is a strong ally."
Day 3 – Thursday, Jan. 27:
As protests spread, Joe Biden, the vice president, calls Mr Mubarak an ally on Middle East peace efforts and says: "I would not refer to him as a dictator." Mr Obama, in a YouTube interview, says reform "is absolutely critical for the long-term wellbeing of Egypt."
Day 4 – Friday, Jan. 28:
The White House says the United States will review $1.5 billion in aid to Egypt. Mr Obama speaks with Mr Mubarak after the Egyptian president, in a televised statement, calls for a national dialogue to avoid chaos. Mr Obama says he urged Mubarak to undertake sweeping reforms "to meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people."
Day 5 – Saturday, Jan. 29:
After Mr Mubarak sacks his government and makes Suleiman vice president, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley tweets that the Egyptian leader "can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat."
Day 6 – Sunday, Jan. 30:
Mrs Clinton, on television talk shows, dodges questions about whether Mr Mubarak should resign but brings the term "orderly transition" into the official US message for the first time.
"We want to see an orderly transition so that no one fills a void, that there not be a void, that there be a well thought out plan that will bring about a democratic participatory government," she tells "Fox News Sunday."
Day 7 – Monday, Jan. 31:
Publicly, the White House continues to call for democratic reforms but will not be drawn on Mr Mubarak's fate. Mr Gibbs says: "We're not picking between those on the street and those in the government."
Day 8 – Tuesday, Feb. 1:
The State Department orders the departure from Egypt of non-essential US government personnel and their families. Mr Obama says he spoke with Mubarak after the Egyptian leader pledged in a television address not to seek re-election. He says he told Mubarak that "an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now."
Day 9 – Wednesday, Feb. 2:
US officials are vague when pressed on whether Mr Obama's call for an immediate transition of power means the United States wants Mr Mubarak to step down before September elections.
Day 10 – Thursday, Feb. 3:
Mrs Clinton calls on the Egyptian government and opposition "to begin immediately serious negotiations on a peaceful and orderly transition".
Day 11 – Friday, Feb. 4:
The White House calls for "concrete steps" toward an orderly transition but again stops short of demanding Mr Mubarak's immediate resignation.
Day 12 – Saturday, Feb. 5:
Mrs Clinton says the United States backs a transition process led by Omar Suleiman, and that it must be given time to mature. She warns that radical elements may try to derail the process.
Mr Obama's envoy in the crisis, Frank Wisner, says it is critical that Mubarak stays in power for the time being to manage the transition. The State Department and White House quickly disavow his comments, saying Mr Wisner spoke in a private capacity.
Day 13 – Sunday, Feb. 6:
Mr Obama says Egypt "is not going to go back to what it was" and tells Fox News he is confident an orderly transition will produce a government that will remain a US partner.
Day 14 – Monday, Feb. 7:
Mr Gibbs says: "The United States doesn't pick leaders of other countries."
Day 15 – Tuesday, Feb. 8:
Mr Biden speaks with Mr Suleiman, stressing US support "for an orderly transition in Egypt that is prompt, meaningful, peaceful, and legitimate."
Robert Gates, the defence secretary, says Egypt's military has behaved in "an exemplary fashion" by standing largely on the sidelines during the demonstrations.
Day 16 – Wednesday, Feb. 9:
After appearing to throw its support behind a transition process led by Mr Mubarak's new vice president, Mr Suleiman, Washington shows growing irritation, saying it has still not seen "real, concrete" reforms. The White House steps up pressure on Mr Suleiman after coming under fire for not calling on Mr Mubarak to step down immediately.
Day 17 – Thursday, Feb. 10:
Mr Obama says Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's statement that he will not hand over power to his vice president is not enough to meet the demands of protesters clamouring for democratic change. Amid widespread reports that Mr Mubarak was likely to step down, US officials said earlier Mr Obama was closely following the "fluid situation" in Egypt while on a trip to Michigan. Leon Panetta, the CIA director, tells a congressional hearing on Thursday that the situation in Egypt is fluid and will depend on whether Egyptian leaders and the opposition are making the "right decisions at the right moments.
"There's a strong likelihood that Mubarak may step down this evening, which would be significant in terms of where the, hopefully, orderly transition in Egypt takes place," he said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8318329/Egypt-crisis-17-days-of-fluctuating-US-messages.html
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