Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called Egyptian Prime Minister Hosni Mubarak’s decision to remain in office while allocating unspecified powers to Vice President Omar Suleiman “deeply unfortunate and troubling.”
“The voices of the Egyptian people are growing louder and more unified, and they are not demanding partial transfers of power or minor adjustments to the current government,” McCain said in a release issued less than two hours after Mubarak gave a rambling speech in which he said he would remain as President until elections are held in September. “They are calling for President Mubarak to step down as the beginning of a meaningful and enduring transition to democracy in Egypt.”
McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee and one of the chief critics of President Obama’s foreign policy, said he fully endorsed the goals of the Egyptian people — what he deemed “peaceful aspirations” — and said he is growing increasingly more concerned that the unrest and “call for change” could be exploited by “extremist or violent elements” each day protesters demands go unmet.
McCain also impugned Mubarak’s comments that seemed to imply the U.S. was meddling in internal Egyptian politics and unduly trying to pressure him to resign.
As president, Mubarak said in his speech, he needed to respond to the “calls” of the Egyptian people. He also acknowledged he was “embarrassed” and said he would “not accept to listen to any foreign interventions or dictations.”
McCain rejected Mubarak’s characterization, reminding him that the Egyptian people launched the movement for democratic reforms, and urging him to listen to their cries or face the consequences.
“When President Mubarak alleges that foreigners and outsiders are manipulating events in Egypt, he could not be further from the truth,” McCain said. “The Egyptian people, and they alone, are the authors of the current outcry for democratic change in Egypt. I urge President Mubarak to begin listening to and trusting his people. The stability of Egypt and the wider region increasingly depend on it.”
Earlier in the day after reports that Mubarak was expected to resign, President Barack Obama backed the Egyptian people’s calls for reform and said “we are witnessing history.” He is expected to issue a written statement Thursday evening.
