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| Politics
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| US calls for fair elections |
| US calls for fair elections in Egypt in September
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 1-February-2011
3:57:21 AM |
| The United States is asking besieged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to lift the emergency police powers that have safeguarded his iron rule while focusing behind the scenes on elections later this year that could be a chance to achieve a legitimate democracy without Mubarak in control, administration officials said.
Two American officials said the US government would prefer that Mubarak not run for re-election in presidential voting scheduled for September.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of diplomacy and the difficult situation the Obama administration finds itself in.
In public, the administration would say only that elections should be open and fair
"The United States government does not determine who's on the ballot," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said on Monday.
"The question is whether or not those elections are going to be free and fair, that's what we would weigh in on and weigh in on strongly," Gibbs added.
Gibbs dismissed Mubarak's move on Monday to appoint a new government, saying the situation in Egypt calls for action, not appointments.
Mubarak named a new government in an apparent attempt to defuse the weeklong political upheaval in his country.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have flooded the streets, calling for his ouster.
American officials continued to wrestle with the dilemma of strengthening support for peaceful demonstrations, while not completely undercutting Mubarak, whose close cooperation with the United States on Israeli-Arab peace talks and other issues has made Egypt America's most important ally in the Arab world.
A coalition of opposition groups has called for a million (m) people to take to Cairo's streets on Tuesday to demand Mubarak's removal.
In advance of that rally, White House spokesman Gibbs told reporters, "We have been clear from the outset that grievances will not and cannot be addressed through violence,
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