| But ABC News says that Wisner is talking through his hat. Nice mixed message, Bambi. Which is it? |
MUNICH, Germany -- Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, an 'old friend' of the United States, should stay in office during a democratic transition, President Barack Obama's special envoy Frank Wisner said Saturday.
'The president must stay in office in order to steer those changes through,' Wisner, who met Mubarak this week, told the Munich Security Conference via video link. 'President Mubarak's continued leadership is critical. It's his opportunity to write his own legacy. He has given 60 years of his life to the service of his country, this is an ideal moment for him to show the way forward.'
On Friday, Obama said the proud 'patriot' Mubarak should listen to his people and make the 'right decision,' avoiding an explicit request for the longtime US ally to step down immediately.
| That would have required Bambi to make a decision... |
| I think somebody finally told President Obama the story of "The President and the Shah". |
But citing unnamed US and Egyptian officials, the New York Times reported on Saturday that new vice president Omar Suleiman and senior Egyptian military leaders are exploring ways for Mubarak to make a graceful exit.
Mubarak, 82, whose three decades as leader of the Arab world's most populous nation had gone unchallenged until now, has said he is 'fed up' with his job, but prefers to stay in power until September elections while those who oppose him are crushed calm is restored.
Wisner was dispatched to Cairo on Monday by the US administration, and met with the Egyptian leader and with Suleiman, the veteran former ambassador to Egypt said. He is now back in the United States.
'The crisis is of extraordinary importance. What happens in Egypt affects all of our interests throughout the region,' Wisner said. 'The United States has had a long and very close relationship -- 30 years plus -- standing with Egypt. Where Egypt goes, the domestic order, the external orientation of the Middle East, will be profoundly affected.'
| Which is why Bambi should have kept his mouth shut and sent you in much earlier, assuming you're doing as you were told to do and not just going off the reservation -- and how would we ever know? |
Wisner said his mission 'was to make sure that we communicated in a respectful manner to a man who has been an old friend of the US but who now faces the huge responsibility of having to lead Egypt through a transition to a new and a different future, and to do so without resorting to force.' |