US hardens stance against Mubarak's plan to stay

The United States hardened its stance against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's plans to hang on to power until September and voiced suspicions the government might be instigating violence.

In pointed comments, the United States again demanded an immediate transition toward democracy in Egypt and it stressed to Egypt's top army officer its desire for calm as Mubarak's supporters clashed with opponents on the streets of Cairo.

"Now means now," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told a briefing in which he said that if the Egyptian government had instigated some of the violence, it should stop now.

The White House adopted an increasingly tough line toward Mubarak as it became clear that its ally of 30 years, a bulwark of US efforts to maintain regional stability, wanted to serve out his term until presidential elections in September despite protesters demanding his immediate departure.

One sign of Mubarak's determination, analysts said, was a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry saying foreign calls for a democratic transition to begin now were "rejected and aimed to incite the internal situation in Egypt."

This appeared to be a clear rebuff to US President Barack Obama's public statement on Tuesday that he had told Mubarak he believed that "an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now."

"The message that the president delivered clearly to President Mubarak was that the time for change has come," Gibbs said. "It is clear that the Egyptian people need to see progress and change immediately."

Yet when asked if the White House would was satisfied with Mubarak staying until September, Gibbs only said he would not discuss details of Obama's conversation with Mubarak.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US uniformed military officer, urged a return to calm and expressed confidence in Egypt's military in a phone call to his Egyptian counterpart, Lieutenant General Sami Enan, said Mullen spokesman Captain John Kirby.

"The chairman thanked him for the continued contact, reiterated his desire to see the situation return to calm and expressed his confidence in the Egyptian military's ability to provide for their country's security, both internally and throughout the Suez Canal area," the spokesman said.