US going slow on Egypt under pressure of Mid-East allies

WASHINGTON - Key allies of the United States such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly advised the Obama administration not to act hastily against the Mubarak regime in Egypt.

Though Washington has been demanding immediate change in the administration in Cairo, it is simultaneously also saying that such a transition should be “orderly”, and managed by Vice President Omar Suleiman.

“Everyone is taking a little breath. There’s a sense that we’re getting our message through,” the New York Times quoted a diplomat from the region, as saying on the condition of anonymity.

There is worry that a sudden and chaotic change in Egypt would destabilize the Middle East region or, in the Arab nations, even jeopardize their own leaders, many of whom are also autocrats facing restive populations.fficials in Washington see their Middle East allies as a vital component guiding US foreign policy in the region.

Administration officials said the tense mood in many of these countries had eased in recent days, as the United States has embraced a transition process in Egypt that does not demand Mubarak’s immediate departure.We have been adamant that forcing Mubarak out risks instability,” said one Arab official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Another Arab diplomat likened the democracy movement to a train fueled by university students and human rights advocates.

He said: “Eventually, those students will have to get off that train and go back to school, and the human rights people will have to go back to work, and you know who will be on the train when it finally rolls into the station?” (ANI)