White House Huddles on Egypt

President Barack Obama and an 11-person team met in the White House on Saturday to discuss the situation in Egypt.

The meeting, which began at 1 p.m. EST lasted more than an hour and included the vice president, three national security advisors, a pair of middle east and regional experts, a homeland security official, a pair of public relations experts, a senior advisor and a key White House organizer.

Obama reiterated our focus on opposing violence and calling for restraint; supporting universal rights; and supporting concrete steps that advance political reform within Egypt, the White House said in a statement.

The Egyptian government can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat. President Mubarak's words pledging reform must be followed by action, U.S. State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said on Saturday on his Twitter feed.

The participants at Saturday's White House meeting included Vice President Joe Biden, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa Dan Shapiro, Senior Advisor David Plouffe and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Embattled president of Egypt Hosni Mubarak promoted his chief of intelligence, Omar Suleiman, to the vice presidency on Saturday as anti-government protests continue to defy a curfew and demonstrate on the streets.

Suleiman, 74, a long-time Mubarak ally, becomes the first vice-president ever under this regime.