WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the orderly transition in Egypt "must begin now" following announcement by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that he will not seek reelection.

In his televised speech, Obama said he spoke directly to Mubarak after his announcement and the Egyptian president "recognizes that the status quo is not sustainable and that a change must take place."

"What is clear, and what I indicated tonight to President Mubarak is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now," Obama said.

"Furthermore, the process must include a broad spectrum of Egyptian voices and opposition parties," he added. "It should lead to elections that are free and fair."

Mubarak pledged on Tuesday in his speech to the nation that he would not seek another term following eight days of anti-government demonstrations demanding an end of his 30-year rule, which has plunged the most populous Arab nation into chaos.

Obama pledged that "we stand ready to provide assistance that is necessary to help the Egyptian people as they manage the aftermath of these protests."

The United States sees Egypt as a close ally and has offered some 1.5 billion dollars in annual military and economic aid in the past years.

美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬(Barack Obama)周二(2月1日)與埃及總統(tǒng)穆巴拉克(Hosni Mubarak)電話(huà)交談之后在白宮發(fā)表講話(huà)，呼吁埃及從現(xiàn)在開(kāi)始進(jìn)行有意義的重大改革。

穆巴拉克(Hosni Mubarak)此前已表示，將不會(huì)參加秋天舉行的下屆總統(tǒng)選舉，并將在任期的最后幾個(gè)月進(jìn)行權(quán)力移交，憲法中有關(guān)總統(tǒng)任期及總統(tǒng)候選人的條款也將得到修改。

奧巴馬在講話(huà)中稱(chēng)，在埃及政權(quán)過(guò)渡期間，美國(guó)將向埃及提供一切必要的支持。奧巴馬稱(chēng)："美國(guó)聽(tīng)到了埃及民眾的聲音。"

奧巴馬重申，埃及的命運(yùn)應(yīng)由埃及人民自行決定。他表示，相信埃及人民將選擇合適的道路。

奧巴馬還表示，對(duì)埃及軍方在大規(guī)模民眾抗議活動(dòng)中表現(xiàn)出的克制表示贊賞。

（中文新聞?wù)运押?br>