U.S. Officials Speak With Mubarak, ElBaradei

Source: Wall Street Journal

By Jonathan Weisman

Top U.S. officials spoke to the two players that could determine the future of the Egyptian government, as the Obama administration began more publicly working toward a resolution of the crisis in the world’s largest Arab nation.

Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt tapped by the State Department to engage with the Egyptian government, spoke with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The current U.S. ambassador in Cairo, Margaret Scobey, spoke with former International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who has emerged as the central figure of the Egyptian opposition, administration officials said ...

http://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2011/02/01/us-officials-speak-with-mubarak-elbaradei/

Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2011/02/01/us-officials-speak-with-mubarak-elbaradei/

By MARK LANDLER
Published: February 1, 2011

WASHINGTON — President Obama has told the embattled president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, that he should not run for another term in elections in the fall, effectively withdrawing American support for its closest Arab ally, according to American diplomats in Cairo and Washington.

Al Arabiya television, citing unnamed sources, reported that Mr. Mubarak would announce in a nationwide address Tuesday evening that he would not run for another term.

The message was conveyed to Mr. Mubarak by Frank G. Wisner, a seasoned former diplomat with deep ties to Egypt, these officials said. Mr. Wisner’s message, they said, was not a blunt demand for Mr. Mubarak to step aside now, but firm counsel that he should make way for a reform process that would culminate in free and fair elections in September to elect a new Egyptian leader ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/world/middleeast/02transition.html?src=twrhp

US ambassador to Egypt holds talks with opposition figure amid ongoing anti-government protests.
Last Modified: 01 Feb 2011 18:45 GMT

The US ambassador to Egypt has spoken to Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei, according to the US state department ...

"As part of our public outreach to convey support for an orderly transition in Egypt, Ambassador Scobey spoke today with Mohammed ElBaradei," PJ Crowley, the US state department spokesman, said in a message on Twitter on Tuesday ...

Yasser El-Shimy, former US diplomatic attaché, told Al Jazeera that Washington was seeking to prepare for a post-Mubarak scenario.

"Washington has failed to anticipate what happened, and they have failed to respond in a timely fashion of what is going on ...

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201121173116367979.html