The U.S. is stepping up its pressure on the Egyptian government in the face of opposition protests, with the Senate passing a resolution calling for a caretaker government in Egypt and the Obama administration reportedly discussing a proposal with Egyptian officials for President Mubarak to resign immediately.
The latest developments come after Mubarak said earlier Thursday in an interview with ABC News that he wants to leave office now but cannot for fear the country will sink deeper into chaos. He announced earlier this week his intention to end his three-decade rule, but only after elections in September.
Chaos already prevails in the streets of Cairo, where pro- and anti-government groups clashed for a second day Thursday in a central square, and further escalation is expected Friday.
Mubarak told ABC he is troubled by deadly violence in Cairo's Tahrir Square and that the government is not responsible for it. In the interview at the presidential palace, Mubarak blamed the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood for the violence.
The New York Times reported Thursday night that U.S. officials were conducting behind-the-scenes talks on the option of Mubarak handing over power to a transitional government. Under such a plan, Vice President Omar Suleiman would immediately start a process of constitutional reform with the backing of the chief of Egyptian armed forces and the Egyptian Defense Minister, the Times reported, citing unnamed administration officials and Arab diplomats.
A senior administration official suggested to Fox News that the proposal was one of several being discussed.
"It's simply wrong to report that there's a single U.S. plan that's being negotiated with the Egyptians," the official told Fox News.
The U.S. also is taking an increasingly direct public stance on the developing crisis. The Senate unanimously approved a resolution earlier Thursday urging Mubarak to hand over power to a caretaker government and begin a peaceful transition to a democratic society.
Responding to the days of rage in Egypt, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry and Sen. John McCain joined forces in writing the bipartisan resolution and circulated it among lawmakers.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned "in the strongest terms" the pro-government mobs that beat, threatened and intimidated reporters in Cairo.
Attacks on peaceful demonstrators, human rights activists, foreigners and diplomats were "unacceptable under any circumstances," she said.
The new turn in U.S. involvement comes amid calls by protesters for Friday to be Mubarak's "day of departure" with a march on the presidential palace demanding his exit.
The protesters fought against Mubarak supporters in a second day of rock-throwing battles at a central Cairo square Thursday while new lawlessness spread around the city. Looting and arson erupted, and gangs of thugs supporting Mubarak attacked reporters, foreigners and rights workers while the army rounded up foreign journalists.
As bruised and bandaged protesters danced in victory after forcing back Mubarak loyalists attacking Tahrir Square, the government increasingly spread an image that foreigners were fueling the turmoil and supporting the unprecedented wave of demonstrations demanding the ouster of Mubarak, the 30-year authoritarian ruler.
"When there are demonstrations of this size, there will be foreigners who come and take advantage and they have an agenda to raise the energy of the protesters," Vice President Omar Suleiman said in an interview on state TV.
The White House said Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Suleiman by telephone on Thursday and condemned the recent violence. Biden urged restraint on all sides and restated the U.S. administration's support for universal rights, including the right to peaceful assembly, association and speech.
The White House statement said Biden stressed to Suleiman that the Egyptian government is responsible for ensuring that peaceful demonstrations do not lead to violence and intimidation and that journalists and human rights advocates should be allowed to conduct their work. He urged the immediate release of those who have been detained.
Among the many detained were correspondents for The New York Times, Washington Post and Al-Jazeera. Two Fox News journalists were briefly hospitalized after attacks. Human rights groups said many activists were taken away after a raid by the military police on a legal center in Cairo.
The Obama administration warned that the arrests and intimidation of reporters may be aimed at stopping the spread of the anti-government message ahead of a potentially critical protests Friday, when many Egyptians will take to the streets after prayer services.
"It could well be that this is in anticipation of events tomorrow," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. "We are bracing for a significant increase in the number of demonstrators on the streets and the real prospect of a confrontation."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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