John Kerry says Mubarak should step aside

Leading US Democratic senator John Kerry has urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to pledge neither he nor his son will stand in this year's presidential election.

Mr Kerry, writing in the New York Times, said Mr Mubarak had to accept Egypt's stability "hinges on his willingness to step aside gracefully".

He is the highest-level US politician to push for Mr Mubarak to stand down.

Mr Kerry also said the United States "must look beyond the Mubarak era".

The BBC's Paul Adams, in Washington, says Mr Kerry is an influential chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is close to the White House so his views carry weight

'Beyond his regime'
Mr Kerry said Mr Mubarak's declared intention to hold fair elections was insufficient.

"The most important step that he can take is to address his nation and declare that neither he nor the son he has been positioning as his successor will run in the presidential election this year," he wrote, referring to Gamal Mubarak.

"Egyptians have moved beyond his regime, and the best way to avoid unrest turning into upheaval is for President Mubarak to take himself and his family out of the equation."

He called on the US to offer "real assistance" to the Egyptian people, noting most US aid to Egypt goes to the military.

"The proof was seen over the weekend: tear gas canisters marked 'made in America' fired at protesters, US-supplied F-16 jet fighters streaking over central Cairo," he wrote. "Congress and the Obama administration need to consider providing civilian assistance that would generate jobs and improve social conditions in Egypt."

Diplomat to Cairo
The White House has publicly trodden a more cautious line on the Egyptian turmoil.

BBC North America Mark Mardell says that while the White House continues to insist it is not the job of the US government to pick leaders, the strong view in Washington is that it wants Mubarak to go, and the army to take over until elections can be held - but President Obama believes its counter productive to say so in public.

A US state department spokesman on Monday declined to say Mr Mubarak should not stand for re-election, declaring "these are decisions to be made inside Egypt".

Meanwhile, the US on Monday despatched to Cairo a veteran diplomat with close ties to the Mubarak government.

Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt, had arrived in Cairo and was to meet with Egyptian government officials.