Sen. Kerry: Mubarak Should Step Down
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John Kerry is saying publicly what senior U.S. officials have said only privately: Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak should step down.
The head of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee says Mubarak should "step aside gracefully to make way for a new political structure."
He wrote in the New York Times that it isn't enough for Mubarak to pledge "fair" elections. Kerry says the best way to avoid "unrest turning into upheaval is for President Mubarak to take himself and his family out of the equation."
The Obama administration so far has confined its public comments to calls for restraint, reforms and a transition to a real democracy.
The State Department today ordered non-essential U.S. government personnel and their families to leave Egypt amid growing anti-government protests and uncertainty over the security situation.
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