"Do not humiliate Mubarak!"

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah told U.S. President Barack Obama that his country would prop up Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s regime if the United States withdrew its financial support of Cairo, The Times said on Thursday.

Abdullah told Obama not to humiliate Mubarak amid the ongoing protests demanding his ouster, in a telephone call on January 29, the newspaper said, citing a senior source in Riyadh.
 

Obama's administration has wavered between support for Egypt in Washington's conflict with “militant Islam” and backing for Egyptians who have been protesting for weeks to demand Mubarak and his government quit.

Obama reinforced that message in his telephone conversation with King Abdullah, in which the president emphasized the need for "immediate steps toward an orderly transition that is meaningful, lasting, legitimate and responsive," the White House said.

The United States has long nurtured its alliance with key ally Egypt, giving billions of dollars in aid as it seeks to influence affairs in a region whose autocratic rulers are struggling to contain social discontent.

On January 28, the White House said the United States would review $1.5 billion in aid to Egypt. Officials later said no such review was planned currently.