Egyptian government falling short of meeting demands, US says

Feb 9, 2011, 20:13 GMT

Washington - The Egyptian government has so far fallen short of meeting the demands of the opposition seeking democratic reforms, and the protests are likely to continue, the White House said Wednesday.

'It is clear that what the government has thus far put forward has yet to meet a minimum threshold for the people of Egypt,' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman has pledged to move forward with reforms following the announcement by President Hosny Mubarak February 1 that he will leave office in September.

But that has not stopped more than two weeks of massive protests calling for Mubarak's immediate resignation and the implementation of reforms.

Suleiman has pledged to establish independent committees to outline reforms and has begun dialogue with some segments of the opposition. But the United States has said that dialogue is not sufficiently broad to address all members of the opposition and their differing views. The US has called on Mubarak's government to move toward an orderly transition of power.

'It is clear that the Egyptian government is going to have to take some real, concrete steps in order to meet the threshold that the people of Egypt that they represent require from their government,' Gibbs said. 'And I think unless or until that process takes hold, I think you're going to see the continued pictures that all of us are watching out of Cairo and of other cities throughout Egypt.'

Suleiman has refused to suspend the emergency law under which Mubarak's regime has governed for decades, despite demands from the protesters to do so.

US Vice President Joe Biden told Suleiman in a telephone call Tuesday that the political transition process should include halting arrests of protesters and journalists, ending the emergency law, diversifying the dialogue to include all segments of society, and working with the opposition to develop 'a roadmap and timetable.'

Read more about Egypt Unrest

Read more about US