国际英语新闻：Obama welcomes Egyptian military's commitment to civilian transition

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday welcomed the pledge by the Egyptian military to pursue "a democratic civilian transition."

He welcomed the "historic change" that has been made by the Egyptian people, as well as the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' announcement that it is committed to "a democratic civilian transition" and will stand by Egypt's international obligations, the White House said in a statement.

In his separate phone calls to British Prime Minister David Cameron, King Abdullah of Jordan and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the developments in Egypt, Obama also stressed the U.S. commitment to provide the support "that is necessary and requested by the Egyptian people to pursue a credible and orderly transition to democracy," including by working with international partners to provide financial support, the statement said.

"The president emphasized his conviction that democracy will bring more, not less, stability to the region," the statement said.

It noted that "the leaders agreed on the importance of a peaceful transition to a democratic government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people, and agreed to work closely together going forward."

Obama reaffirmed the United States' strong commitment to " supporting a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East in close consultation with all our regional partners," the statement added.

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stepped down on Friday following 18 days of mass anti-government protests in the country, and tasked the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to manage the state's affairs.

The Supreme Council stated on Saturday that a peaceful transition will take place from the military regime to a civilian elected government, and that all regional, international treaties and agreements will be respected.