British Prime Minister David Cameron said that if the Egyptian regime uses violence on protesters in Cairo today it will lose any remaining international credibility it has left. The steps the Egyptian government has taken so far have failed to meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people,Cameron said as he arrived in Brussels for a European Union summit that was supposed to be dominated by economic matters. The EU has been criticised for lagging behind United States President Barack Obama in distancing itself from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak,and Cameron appeared to challenge his fellow European leaders to take a stronger stand. Above all,the message is this: if we see on the streets of Cairo today state-sponsored violence or the hiring of thugs to beat up protesters,then Egypt and its regime would lose any remaining credibility and support it has in the eyes of the watching world,including Britain, Cameron said. Other EU leaders arriving for the summit today called for a national dialogue between Egypts government and the opposition,but shied away from echoing the Obama administrations calls for Mubarak to step down. The summit is expected to adopt a call for an orderly transition to democratic rule in Egypt,including early elections. It may also ask the EUs foreign policy chief,Catherine Ashton,who has been criticised for inaction on the issue,to travel to Cairo and press Mubarak to relinquish power peacefully. As violent protests in Egypts major cities continued,Ashton said it was essential that the government and people move forward together."
