US to Egypt: Lift State of Emergency
BBC reports:
The US has called on the Egyptian government to lift its 30-year-old state of emergency immediately.
Earlier, the White House described as "particularly unhelpful" comments by Egyptian Vice-President Omar Suleiman that the country was not ready for democracy.
Mr Suleiman has warned of a coup if constitutional reforms fail.
Tuesday saw one of the biggest anti-government rallies in Cairo since the protests began on 25 January.
It came despite the government's announcement of its plans for a peaceful transfer of power.
President Hosni Mubarak has said he will stay in office until elections in September, when he plans to step down.
US Vice-President Joe Biden urged that the transition should produce "immediate, irreversible progress that responds to the aspirations of the Egyptian people".
He also called on the Egyptian government to stop arresting and beating journalists and activists. The interior ministry should be restrained immediately and there should be a clear policy of no reprisals, Mr Biden said.
Earlier on Tuesday, US President Barack Obama's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said Mr Suleiman's remarks about Egypt not being ready for democracy were "particularly unhelpful", adding that they do not square with the idea of a timetable for progress.
The US vice-president has been phoning his Egyptian opposite number on an almost daily basis and his latest call is the toughest yet, says BBC North America editor Mark Mardell.
The focus now seems not to be on President Mubarak and his future but on what the White House calls "concrete reforms", our editor says.
So far the administration's repeated suggestions over the last week have been met largely by grudging commitments from the Egyptian authorities and little action, he adds.
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