U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to hold free and fair elections and said Washington was not considering a cutoff of aid to Cairo for now.
Appearing on several of U.S. news programs, Clinton pressed Mubarak for sweeping reforms in response to unprecedented mass protests but urged an orderly democratic transition to avoid a result like that of Iran, which she called a "faux democracy."
Clinton said Egypt's military, which Mubarak had called to the streets to quell unrest, appeared to be showing restraint against peaceful protesters while instead trying to control looting.
She also said on ABC's "This Week" that Mubarak's appointment on January 29 of intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as vice president marked the "bare beginning" of political reform, but insisted that much more needed to be done.
compiled from agency reports
Appearing on several of U.S. news programs, Clinton pressed Mubarak for sweeping reforms in response to unprecedented mass protests but urged an orderly democratic transition to avoid a result like that of Iran, which she called a "faux democracy."
Clinton said Egypt's military, which Mubarak had called to the streets to quell unrest, appeared to be showing restraint against peaceful protesters while instead trying to control looting.
She also said on ABC's "This Week" that Mubarak's appointment on January 29 of intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as vice president marked the "bare beginning" of political reform, but insisted that much more needed to be done.
compiled from agency reports
