Barack Obama, the US president, has said Hosni Mubarak should "listen" to protesters calling for him to quit immediately, but he stopped short of explicitly urging the Egyptian president to go now.

"He needs to listen to what is voiced by the people and make a judgement about a pathway forward that is orderly, that is meaningful and serious," Obama said on Friday, in carefully worded comments on Egypt's political future.

Obama told reporters that in two conversations with Mubarak since mass protests against the Egyptian leader's 30-year rule began 11 days ago he stressed the need for an orderly transition to democracy in the country, long a cornerstone of US Middle East strategy.