Frank Wisner: Mubarak Should Remain

Aljazeera English (AJE) has reported that the US administration has stepped back from these comments suggesting they are Frank's views.

Additional details from the Sydney Morning Herald:

The political turmoil in Cairo loomed large over international meetings in Munich, Germany, where Obama's special envoy Frank Wisner said Mubarak should stay in office during a democratic transition.

"The president must stay in office in order to steer those changes through," Wisner, who met Mubarak this week, told the Munich Security Conference via video link, describing the leader as an "old friend" of the United States.

"President Mubarak's continued leadership is critical," he said.

But officials in Washington quickly distanced themselves from Wisner's remarks, saying he spoke as a private citizen.