These were positives that pointed to future prosperity, Mr Obama said, as he summoned the spirit of history's peacemakers - ''Germans tearing down a wall, Indonesian students taking to the streets, Gandhi leading his people down the path of justice'' and Martin Luther King, who had once noted: ''There's something in the soul that cries out for freedom.'' Mr Obama said: ''I am confident that the people of Egypt can find the answers, and do so peacefully, constructively and in the spirit of unity that has defined these last few weeks. ''For Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day.'' As it seeks to recast its relationship with Egypt and the wider region - conscious of its own complicity in Mr Mubarak's three-decade dictatorship - the US will be eager to show it can accommodate a new Egypt, but equally anxious that the Arab nation is rebuilt in the image of its revolutionaries - peaceful, inclusive, optimistic. There is a sense of America seizing the moment, lending weight to those whose aspirations for representative government would pose a threat to other Middle East autocrats, some of whom remain entwined with Washington.

''I don't think we have to fear democracy,'' said Robert Gibbs in his final briefing as White House press spokesman, during which he also challenged Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who had earlier chirped approval for Egypt's uprising. The government of Iran, Mr Gibbs said, was ''quite frankly, scared of the will of its people'', having put down a popular revolt two years ago. ''We know that what they really are scared of is exactly what might happen,'' he added, as Egyptians celebrated their victory, which came on the 32nd anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution. But others will be scared, too, not least Israel, anxious to preserve its long-standing peace treaty with Egypt and now flanked by growing political uncertainty. For Egypt, the immediate test will be faced by its military. Does it have the necessary political nous to construct a path to free elections? Can it create an environment that nurtures the development of political parties and brings to the fore national leaders? Longer term, only the creation of jobs and growing economic prosperity will inoculate Egypt against further upheaval. Redirecting some of the millions of US aid dollars from the military to economic development may be necessary. Meanwhile, impatience looms as a major threat. Tourism is shot and investors could also take flight when financial markets reopen this week, as those lucky to have jobs are finally coaxed back to work.

But the initial signs were promising: global markets actually rallied on news of Mr Mubarak's departure. Oil prices eased. Inside the White House there was a palpable sense of relief, too. Risking accusations of immobility, even powerlessness, the administration had chosen to do its hard talking mostly in private: first to Mr Mubarak, then, increasingly to his right-hand man, Omar Suleiman, but always with the Egyptian military. The administration was cagey about just how hard it was twisting arms, lest it be accused of interference in another state's affairs. Mr Gibbs confirmed that the President had not spoken to the embattled Mr Mubarak in days. The conduit for persuasion had been the Pentagon. With so much resting on Cairo's generals, little wonder Mr Obama was eager to heap public praise on those who had ''served patriotically and responsibly''. Loading Simon Mann is Fairfax US correspondent.

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