US, European nations back gradual shift for Egypt

US officials said Suleiman had promised them an “orderly transition’’ that would include constitutional changes and outreach to opposition groups.

“That takes some time,’’ Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, speaking at a Munich security conference. “There are certain things that have to be done in order to prepare.’’

But the formal endorsement came as Suleiman appeared to reject the protesters’ main demands, including the immediate resignation of Mubarak and the dismantling of a political system built around one-party rule, according to leaders of a small, officially authorized opposition party who spoke with Suleiman yesterday.

Nor has Suleiman, a former general, former intelligence chief, and Mubarak’s longtime confidant, yet reached out to the leaders designated by the protesters to negotiate with the government, opposition groups said.

Instead of loosening its grip, the existing government appeared to be consolidating its power: The prime minister said police forces were returning to the streets, and an army general urged protesters to scale back their occupation of Tahrir Square.

Protesters interpreted the simultaneous moves by the Western leaders and Suleiman as a rebuff to their demands for an end to the dictatorship led for almost three decades by Mubarak, a pivotal American ally and pillar of the existing order in the Middle East.

Just days after President Obama demanded publicly that change in Egypt must begin right away, many in the streets accused the Obama administration of sacrificing concrete steps toward genuine change in favor of a familiar stability.

“America doesn’t understand,’’ said Ibrahim Mustafa, 42, who was waiting to enter Tahrir Square. “The people know it is supporting an illegitimate regime.’’

Leaders of the Egyptian opposition and rank-and-file protesters have steadfastly rejected any negotiations with Suleiman until after the ouster of Mubarak, arguing that moving toward democracy will require ridding the country of not only its dictator but also his rubber-stamp Parliament and a constitution designed for one-party rule.

Yesterday, Mubarak’s party announced a shake-up that removed its old guard, including his son Gamal, from the party’s leadership while installing younger, more reform-minded figures. But such gestures were quickly dismissed as cosmetic by analysts and opposition figures.

Mubarak and Suleiman “are trying to kill what has happened and to contain and abort the revolution,’’ said Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University. “They want to continue to manage the country like they did while making some concessions.’’

Clinton’s message, echoed by Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, and reinforced in a flurry of calls by Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to Egyptian and regional leaders, appears to reflect an attempt at balancing calls for systemic change with a semblance of legal order and stability.

Clinton said Mubarak, having taken himself and Gamal out of the September elections, was effectively sidelined. She emphasized the need for Egypt to change its constitution to make a vote credible. “That is what the government has said it is trying to do,’’ she said.

She also stressed the dangers of holding elections without adequate preparation. “Revolutions have overthrown dictators in the name of democracy, only to see the process hijacked by new autocrats who use violence, deception, and rigged elections to stay in power,’’ she said.

Her emphasis on a deliberate process was repeated by Merkel and Cameron. Merkel mentioned her past as a democracy activist in East Germany, recalling the impatience of protesters after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, to immediately join democratic West Germany. But the process took a year, and it was time well spent, she said.

“There will be a change in Egypt,’’ Merkel said, “but clearly, the change has to be shaped in a way that it is a peaceful, a sensible way forward.’’

Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel laureate who has been chosen to negotiate on behalf of the protesters and other opposition groups, said the American-backed plan for a gradual transition with Mubarak remaining in power was a nonstarter. “I do not think it’s adequate,’’ he said. “I’m not talking about myself. It’s not adequate for the people.

“Mubarak needs to go,’’ he said. “It has become an emotional issue. They need to see his back, there’s no question about it.’’

Protesters also said Western worries about security and orderly transitions sounded remarkably like Mubarak’s age-old excuses for postponing change. And they said they had waited long enough.

“We don’t want Omar Suleiman to take Mubarak’s place. We are not OK with this regime at all,’’ said Omar el-Shawy, a young online activist. “We want a president who is a civilian.’’

There were few indications that Suleiman and other officials were making much progress in addressing concerns of opposition groups.

Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, secretary general of the opposition Wafd Party, said that in a meeting with Suleiman yesterday, the vice president told him that Mubarak’s leaving early “was out of the question.’’ He also ruled out any transfer of Mubarak’s responsibilities.

Abdel-Nour said he brought up the possibility of repealing Egypt’s emergency law, which allows the authorities to arrest people without charges. According to Abdel-Nour, Suleiman responded: “At a time like this?’’