Obama appeals against violence in Egypt
By IANSSunday, January 30, 2011
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has reiterated his appeal to the protesters on Egyptian streets to restrain from violence in the mass protests being staged to demand stepping down of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
“He reiterated our focus on opposing violence and calling for restraint, supporting universal rights, and supporting concrete steps that advance political reform within Egypt,” Xinhua quoted the White House saying in a statement.
The president made the remarks at a meeting of his national security team at the White House, which lasted over an hour.
Among those present at the meeting were Vice President Joe Biden, national security advisor Tom Donilon, deputy national security advisor Denis McDonough, assistant to the president for homeland security and counter terrorism John Brennan and press secretary Robert Gibbs, the report stated.
On Friday evening, in a televised speech, Obama called for both sides in Egypt to refrain from violence and demanded the US ally to pursue political, economic and social reforms.
As a close US ally, Egypt is the second largest recipient of US aid in the region after Israel, which stood at some $1.5 billion dollars in the 2010 fiscal.
The protesters in Egypt, who are calling for democracy, the ouster of Mubarak and more employment opportunities, are some of the largest since Mubarak took power about 30 years ago.
The toll of protestors in the nationwide demonstrations in Egypt climbed up to 51 Saturday.
