US ambassador talks to Egypt's ElBaradei

Source: AFP

by Stephen Collinson – 57 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US ambassador to Egypt spoke to the country's top dissident Mohamed ElBaradei Tuesday as mass protests built in Cairo, in another apparent sign Washington is looking to the post-Mubarak era.

Ambassador Margaret Scobey spoke to the former globe-trotting diplomat for the first time since he flew back to Egypt as public unrest and demonstrations mounted against the 30-year strongman rule of President Hosni Mubarak.

Scobey's conversation with ElBaradei, who has become the leading public critic of the Mubarak government, came as part of her outreach to various opposition groups, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The official 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.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110201/pl_afp/egyptunrestusdiplomacy