Mubarak Promises Not Enough, Obama Should Push for Real Change

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has announced that he will not be a
candidate for the Presidency in elections scheduled for September or
October, but that he will remain in office to oversee the enactment of
political reforms. Human Rights First does not believe that the
opposition will see this announcement as a concession and that Mubarak's
speech is unlikely to bring the protests to an end.

Human Rights First's Neil Hicks noted, "President Mubarak has
promised political reforms before and has failed to act on his promises.
There is no reason to believe that any commitments he makes now will
result in the types of changes being demanded by protesters."

The organization today said that in response to President Mubarak's
speech, the U.S. government should strengthen its message that real
change is needed to meet the legitimate demands of the Egyptian people.
That change will require President Mubarak to hand over power to an
interim government that includes credible representatives of the
opposition that will then oversee the necessary constitutional and
legislative changes leading up to elections for a new parliament and a
new president.