LAT: Rebuffed U.S. turns to Egypt military in the crisis

[justiceischeap]

Faced with a bloody rejection of its call for a rapid, orderly transition of power in Egypt, the Obama administration finds itself with diminished leverage over President Hosni Mubarak, and has stepped up its contacts with the Egyptian military to try to exert influence over events rocking a key ally.

A frustrated administration Wednesday repeated its demand that Mubarak begin handing over power immediately. U.S. officials also sharply condemned the violence in Cairo that followed Mubarak's flat rejection of White House overtures to quit.

But with lines of communication between the two capitals badly frayed, officials in Washington say they believe the best channel for persuading Mubarak to leave may be through the Egyptian military, despite the army's opaque role in the clashes between pro- and anti-Mubarak crowds Wednesday.

"I think our sense is that the military, on balance, is still serving as a buffer between both sides and they likely still hold the key to a peaceful transition," said one senior U.S. Defense official, who spoke as did others on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive diplomacy involved.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-fg-egypt-white-house-20110203,0,1423457.story