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Summary US President Barack Obama said on Friday that the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak reflected the will of the Egyptian people and called on the country's powerful military to ensure a transition to genuine democracy.
Obama spoke after Mubarak handed over to the Egyptian military after an 18-day popular uprising, with Washington now facing deep uncertainty and huge challenges in dealing with a potentially volatile power shift. The people of Egypt have spoken and Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day, Obama said. He acknowledged that this was not the end, but just the beginning of Egypts transition to democracy, saying that there will be many difficult days ahead and many questions remain unanswered. Obama, who has repeatedly pressed for an orderly transition, now confronts the challenge of helping to ensure broad political reform in the Arab worlds most populous country while keeping Islamists from ending up with enough power to undermine US interests in the region.After a 30-year rule, Mubarak, 82, has flown with his family from Cairo to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
