World

Mubarak announces retirement at end of term following Obama request

Steven Nelson Associate Editor
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The mission of the special U.S. envoy to Egypt during the massive protests was made clear Tuesday.

Retired American diplomat Frank G. Wisner delivered to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak a message from President Obama: that he should not run for re-election in September.

The New York Times cites diplomats in Cairo and Washington as the sources of this information.

The Obama administration has publicly been tight-lipped on the Egyptian crisis. Government spokesmen have declined to say if the longtime autocrat should leave office.

Mubarak said in a televised speech on Tuesday that he will not run for a new term as president in September.

“I did not intend to run for a new presidential term,” said Mubarak, “I was never interested in being a dictator….Now I am completely keen on concluding my work for the nation.”

Mubarak said that he would work to revise the nation’s constitution and restore order before leaving office.