BRUSSELS — The European Union on Saturday urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to end the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators and release all political prisoners.
In what appeared to be an effort to distance the bloc from Mubarak's regime, EU President Herman Van Rompuy said on Saturday that the EU was "deeply troubled" by the spiral of violence in Egypt.
Van Rompuy said he hoped Mubarak's promises of reform "will translate into concrete action."
The EU has traditionally had close relations with the Egyptian government as part of its partnerships with countries on the eastern and southern rims of the Mediterranean.