“Its not for me to call for [Mubarak] to stand down. He needs to be in dialogue [with the people] and work the process out with them so that they can feel confident with the transition,” she said. “He has to talk to the leaders of the demonstration, the opposition. He has to explain what he’s trying to do and set the timetable with them. The job of the government in any country is to listen to the people and respond. If the people are saying we want change he has to demonstrate that he’s listening to that.”
“We in the EU want to see Egypt move forward.... Then we can all work with the transition to make sure we’re supporting Egypt into the future -- with elections, democracy, human rights, combined with the economic and political support we can give,” Ashton said.
11:05 a.m. Al Jazeera reports emergency vehicles are trying to get into Tahrir Square.
10:57 a.m. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs issued a statement on the violence in Egypt:
"The United States deplores and condemns the violence that is taking place in Egypt, and we are deeply concerned about attacks on the media and peaceful demonstrators. We repeat our strong call for restraint," Gibbs said.
10:40 a.m. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley reiterates the U.S. message calling for all sides to avoid violence. "We reiterate our call for all sides in #Egypt to show restraint and avoid violence," Crowley said via Twitter. "Egypt's path to democratic change must be peaceful."
10:28 a.m. Al Jazeera reports that Mohamed ElBaradei is calling for the army to intervene as the conflict escalates in Tahrir Square: "Mubarak has to step down... no one wants him in Egypt. Egyptian people regained their dignity and will not turn back," ElBaradei said.
10:27 a.m. London’s Guardian reports that British Prime Minister David Cameron and Ban Ki-Moon, the U.N. secretary general, are calling for urgent change. “These are despicable scenes that are we are seeing and they should not be repeated. They are underline the need for political reform and frankly for that political reform to be accelerated,” Cameron said. “If it turns out that the regime in any way has sponsored or tolerated this violence, that is completely unacceptable.”
10: 07 a.m. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley tweets: "We are concerned about detentions and attacks on news media in #Egypt. The civil society that Egypt wants to build includes a free press."
10:06 a.m. Janice Jacobs, assistant secretary for consular affairs, gives an update on the ongoing evacuation of Americans from Egypt. Upon arrival to safe havens, "U.S. consular officers are assisting them in making lodging and onward travel plans," Jacobs said. "We will continue evacuation efforts to facilitate the safe transport of every U.S. citizen who wishes to leave the country."
10:05 a.m. CNN is reporting that the violence has resulted in many injuries and that a mosque has been turned into a makeshift hospital.
10:05 a.m. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof tweets: "In my part of Tahrir, pro-#Mubarak mobs arrived in buses, armed with machetes, straight-razors and clubs, very menacing."
9:45 a.m. Anderson Cooper reports that he was attacked while in the mob. He wasn't sure, he said, if they thought he was with Al Jazeera or recognized him from CNN, but in any event he was well enough to appear on television (without visible blemishes), moments later. Cooper said that everyone on his team is OK.
9:35 a.m. The European Commission called for orderly transition and the holding of free and fair elections in Egypt. Here is its press release:
“The European Commission has been following closely the latest events in Egypt and at its meeting today expressed its firm commitment to support the legitimate aspirations of the people of Egypt.
The European Commission reiterates the call for an orderly transition in Egypt through a comprehensive process encompassing all political forces and civil society ready to abide by democratic norms. We urge for the necessary reforms including the holding of free and fair elections to be undertaken in a timely, decisive and concrete manner.
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