In quotes: Reaction to Mubarak speech

In quotes: Reaction to Mubarak speech

International leaders and senior politicians react to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's speech, in which he said he would stay in office until September's election but also delegate some powers to Vice-President Omar Suleiman - defying the demands of hundreds of thousands of protesters to quit immediately.

FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY

"I hope with all my heart for Egypt's nascent democracy that they take time to create the structures and principles that will help them find the path to democracy and not another form of dictatorship, religious dictatorship, like what happened in Iran.

It [partial handover of powers] was unavoidable."

BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY WILLIAM HAGUE

"All we want in the UK is for them to be able to settle their own differences in a peaceful and democratic way. That's what we've called for from the beginning of this crisis - for an urgent but orderly transition to a broadly-based government in Egypt.

It's not immediately clear what powers are being handed over and what the full implications are.

The solution has to be owned by the Egyptian people themselves."

ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER EHUD BARAK

"It's up to the Egyptian people to find their way and to do it according to their own constitution, norms and practices."

GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER GUIDO WESTERWELLE

[Mubarak's speech] "was not the hoped for step forward".

US REPUBLICAN SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN

"President Mubarak's announcement that he will remain in power is deeply unfortunate and troubling".

EGYPTIAN OPPOSITION LEADER MOHAMMED ELBARADEI

"Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now."