Any obstacles to transition in Egypt should be removed: EU official

Any obstacles to the transition in Egypt should be removed, said a senior European Union (EU) official at a news briefing here on Wednesday.

All EU leaders believed that the transition process in Egypt must start without delay, said the official who asked not to be named at a briefing conference. He said that the fate of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was not an issue for the EU, when asked whether the bloc believed the beleaguered president should step down.

"If there are obstacles to the start of the transition, these obstacles should be removed," said the official.

He also mentioned that EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton 's trip to Egypt might be delayed. The EU has got the information that "the Egyptian foreign minister is willing to meet with Madam Ashton, but he will be very busy in February," he said.

"But our message to Egyptian authorities is clear," he said. " Whether it is Mubarak or (Vice President Omar) Suleiman, we will ask him to listen to the aspirations of their people."

The European Council issued a declaration last Friday, expressing its strongest condemnation on violence against civilians in Egypt and urging the Egyptian authorities to start an orderly transition to a broad-based government immediately.

Source: Xinhua