US lawmakers urge Obama to suspend Egypt aid

WASHINGTON, Feb 3: As US President Barack Obama prayed on Thursday for peace in Egypt, US lawmakers urged him to cut off aid to that country if Hosni Mubarak does not step down. "We pray that the violence in Egypt will end, and that the rights and aspirations of the Egyptian people will be realised, and that a better day will dawn over Egypt," Mr Obama said at the National Prayer Breakfast. John McCain, a senior Republican senator and 2008 presidential candidate, however, reiterated his call for President Mubarak to leave. The US, he said, should have all options on the table if he does not, including cutting off $1.5 billion worth of US arms. "I think we should have to obviously have all the options at hand. Obviously you don`t want to threaten something unless you are fully prepared to take that action," Senator McCain told ABC News. Also, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Egyptian Vice-President Omar Suleiman in a phone call on Wednesday evening that clashes between pro and anti-Mubarak groups were a "shocking development" after days of peaceful protests. She also "underscored the important role that the Egyptian armed forces have played in exercising restraint in the face of peaceful demonstrations", the state department said in a statement. President Mubarak announced on Tuesday that he would not run for reelection in September. But that is not soon enough for thousands of protesters — and Senator McCain. "The time has come for him to arrange for a transition that has the army, pro-democracy elements and others in a transition government so we can have a free and fair and open election," Mr McCain said. "The best opportunity for a pro-democracy government and not a radical Islamic government is an open and transparent process." Senator Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the panel that controls foreign aid, said he also was prepared to stop all US financial assistance to Egypt unless Mr Mubarak stepped aside immediately and allowed a transitional government to take over. "If he doesn`t leave, there will not be foreign aid; I mean, it`s as simple as that," Senator Leahy, a Democrat, told Bloomberg Television. US money "will not go to the Mubarak administration," Mr Leahy said, adding, "that`s a pipeline that can easily be turned off".