U.S., Britain push Mubarak to fulfill pledge

The U.S. State Department called Saturday on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to fulfill his promises of reform, while the British foreign secretary said Mubarak must "seize this moment to make these reforms real and visible."

The Egyptian government "can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat," department spokesman P.J. Crowley tweeted. He added that Mubarak's "words pledging reform must be followed by action."

"With protesters still on the streets" in Egypt, he wrote, "we remain concerned about the potential for violence and again urge restraint on all sides."

The people of Egypt "no longer accept the status quo," Crowley added. "They are looking to their government for a meaningful process to foster real reform."

President Obama said earlier that he had spoken with Mubarak after the Egyptian president made a televised speech overnight. Mubarak, in his address, said he understands "these legitimate demands of the people and I truly understand the depth of their worries and burdens, and I will not part from them ever and I will work for them every day."

Obama said he told Mubarak "he has a responsibility to give meaning to those words, to take concrete steps and actions that deliver on that promise."

"Violence will not address the grievances of the Egyptian people," Obama said in a televised appearance. "Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, meanwhile, said in a statement that his government remains "deeply concerned about the level of violence we have witnessed over the past few days. We call on the government to exercise restraint and on the Egyptian people to pursue their legitimate grievances peacefully."