Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration is gathering information on a “very fluid situation” in Egypt amid reports that President Hosni Mubarak is preparing to step down, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.
President Barack Obama is getting updates from his national security staff and was monitoring news reports from the country as he traveled to an event in Marquette, Michigan, Gibbs told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Gibbs wouldn’t confirm reports that Mubarak was planning to step down.
The U.S. priority continues to be an “orderly transition” in Egypt leading to free and fair elections, Gibbs said. Until “irreversible change comes” in Egypt, the crowds of protesters will continue to expand, Gibbs said.
Mubarak plans to address his nation tonight, Egypt’s state- run Al Masriya television reported. A spokesman for his Cabinet said in Cairo that the Egyptian leader will decide “within hours” whether to step down.
“What we have wanted to see and most importantly what the people of Egypt wanted to see was irreversible change and we will monitor throughout the day,” Gibbs said. Obama may speak about the situation there “depending on what happens” during the day.
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