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White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters aboard Air Force One that it was important for the Egyptian government of President Hosni Mubarak to demonstrate “responsiveness” to its people.
Asked whether the Egyptian interior ministry ban on demonstrations should be lifted, Gibbs said: “Again, yes. We’re supportive of the universal rights of assembly and speech. Those are universal values.”

“We have a close and important ally in Egypt and they will continue to be,” Gibbs said, as US President Barack Obama flew to the midwestern state of Wisconsin to tout his economic plans a day after his State of the Union address.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, addressing reporters in Washington, called for Egypt to seize “an important opportunity” for reform and also asked for an end to restrictions on social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

“We call on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from violence,” Clinton told reporters after talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.

The comments come after Obama in his big speech saluted the Tunisian protesters, saying: “The will of the people proved more powerful than the writ of a dictator.”
The White House afterward issued a nuanced written statement in Obama’s name on Egypt.

“The Egyptian government has an important opportunity to be responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people, and pursue political, economic and social reforms that can improve their lives and help Egypt prosper,” the statement said.

“The United States is committed to working with Egypt and the Egyptian people to advance these goals,” it added.

The statement also underlined US support for basic democratic freedoms in Egypt.

“We support the universal rights of the Egyptian people, including the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly,” the statement said.
Clinton, asked Wednesday about the administration’s fine line, said that the United States wanted to work both with the government and with civil society in the longstanding ally.-AFP