The United States is treading carefully. While Washington has made it clear it wants a political transition, US officials have been hesitant to wade in too deeply and seem like they are interfering, reported Agence France-Presse.
The US at first avoided the word "transition" all together. The Christian Science Monitor reported Friday that the White House "appears set on a course of ramping up demands for 'meaningful reforms' as events intensify, but continues to hold back from uttering the words the thousands of protesters would like to hear most: support for a political 'transition' in Egypt." Vice President Joseph Biden said it was not necessary for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
But on Sunday, the White House released a statement that President Obama supported "an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people." The next day, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said during a press briefing that the US would not dictate Egypt's political future with Mr. Mubarak. "That is not for our government to determine. That is for the people of Egypt to determine," he said.
And Tuesday, US ambassador to Egypt met with opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei, a sign that the US is beginning to look to the post-Mubarak era, according to AFP. "[Ambassador Margaret Scobey] said she delivered a similar message to ElBaradei on the crisis that US officials have made clear in public: namely that Washington wants a political transition but will not seek to dictate Egypt's political future."
