Egypt protests: US steps up pressure on Cairo

Spokesman Robert Gibbs said they had yet to take the "necessary steps" the country's people needed to see.

Wednesday saw protests in the capital Cairo spread to the parliament.

There are reports of widespread industrial action, and of protests outside Cairo turning violent.

The Egyptian government has announced plans for a peaceful transition which see President Mubarak staying in office until elections in September, but opposition groups fear the government is stalling for time and will fail to enact meaningful changes

Mr Gibbs said: "The government has not taken the necessary steps that the people of Egypt need to see. That's why more and more people come out to register their grievances.

"If there's some notion on the government side that you can put the genie back in this bottle, I think that's gone a long time ago."

He added that the US was reviewing its aid programme to Egypt, and the government's restraint and reform would determine "what that aid will look like".

His remarks follow Tuesday's call by US Vice-President Joe Biden for the Egyptian government to lift its longstanding state of emergency, and to stop harassing journalists and activists

However, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit has welcomed the White House's current approach, while warning against attempts to impose its will on his government.

"The first four, five days it was [a] confusing message and I was, I was often angry infuriated

But through discussions with the administration, I think now we have an administration that understands exactly the difficulties of the situation and the dangers and the risks that are entailed in a rush towards chaos without end. So the administration's message now is better

Violence

In Cairo, soldiers are guarding the People's Assembly after access to the building was blocked by demonstratorsin the Egyptian capital, says the protesters regard the People's Assembly as illegitimate following general elections late last year which were widely regarded as rigged in favour of President Mubarak's ruling party, which won a massive majorityNearby Tahrir Square remains the focal point of protests calling for an end to President Mubarak's 30-year rule, with thousands of demonstrators present on a daily basis, some camping there overnight reports that the capital also saw protests by state electricity workers and museum workers on Wednesday. However, Egypt's most famous tourist attraction, the Pyramids of Giza, reopened to tourists