Europe warns Egypt against violence

BRUSSELS — European leaders bluntly warned Egypt against any breakout of violence during Friday's "departure day" protests as they took stock of the turmoil sweeping the Arab world.With Europe slammed for saying too little too late on the unrest rolling across its southern flank, leaders of Britain, Germany and Italy joined a European Union summit warning against further bloodshed and calling for transition to democracy."If we see on the streets of Cairo today state-sponsored violence or the hiring of thugs to beat up protesters, then Egypt and its regime would lose any remaining credibility or support it has in the eyes of the Western world," said Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron.German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded "free and peaceful demonstrations" on what she termed "this decisive Friday" while Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi backed EU calls for a democratic transition that stop short of demanding President Hosni Mubarak leave office immediately."Egypt should be taking steps to show there is a clear, credible transparent path towards transition," Cameron said. "Frankly the steps taken so far haven't met the aspirations of the Egyptian people."Noting that Mubarak has pledged not to run for election again, Berlusconi called for a transition "that brings more democracy without breaking with a president like Mubarak that the West, and first and foremost the United States, consider as wise, a reference for the entire Middle East."The leaders were to issue a joint stand on Egypt at the one-day summit where the original agenda -- a joint energy strategy and the euro's troubles -- has been hijacked by unrest across the Mediterranean.The 27-nation bloc itself has come under attack in recent weeks for dithering in its response to pro-democracy protests and for tolerating authoritarian regimes in its backyard as bulwarks against Islamist extremism.Opening the summit, EU president Herman Van Rompuy said "the democratic breakthrough" in Tunisia and Egypt had implications both for the Middle East and for

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