Washington:
US President Barack Obama has said that Hosni Mubarak's resignation is the beginning, not the end, of the transition to democracy in Egypt.
Speaking just hours after Mubarak relinquished the presidency, Obama said the long-time Egyptian leader responded to his people's hunger for change. But he warned that there will still be difficult days ahead for Egypt as it works toward free and fair elections.
Obama also said that the Egyptian military has served patriotically and responsibly and now must ensure a transition of power that is credible to the Egyptian people.
The military, in power in the wake of President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, must lay out a clear path toward fair elections, the US President said.
He also said that the military must end the state of emergency that Mubarak imposed and protect the rights of citizens.
Mubarak's three decades of authoritarian rule ended on Friday when he handed power to the Egyptian military following 18 days of protests calling for his ouster.