President Obama and several senior members of his administration worked the phones over the weekend as they monitored unfolding developments in Egypt. Media report that Obama has been communicating concrete steps for reform to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, including communicating with the opposition and lifting an emergency law in place since 1981 that gives the Egyptian government great power over the Egyptian people.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, and other Obama administration officials were also in contact with their counterparts in Egypt and other leaders in the region to promote communication and stability. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on several Sunday morning news shows to express American support for “an orderly transition” in Egypt to a more politically and economically open democracy. (Read more.)
President Obama spoke to the media about the evolving situation late Friday afternoon. Obama called on both sides to refrain from violence and urged the Egyptian government to reverse steps it had taken to crack down on protestors, including restoring internet and cellular communication networks.
“The people of Egypt have rights that are universal,” Obama said in his statement. “That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to free speech, and the ability to determine their own destiny. These are human rights. And the United States will stand up for them everywhere.”
Obama closed his remarks by hearkening back to the speech he delivered in Cairo in June 2009. “When I was in Cairo, shortly after I was elected President, I said that all governments must maintain power through consent, not coercion. That is the single standard by which the people of Egypt will achieve the future they deserve.”
President Obama’s statement on the situation in Egypt.
President Obama’s June 2009 address in Cairo.
President Obama’s Cairo address translated into 17 languages.