Cairo - Opponents of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday rejected US First Lady Laura Bush's interpretation of Egyptian politics, saying they could not even see the progress she was praising.
"There are no reform steps at all. The regime is still following the dictatorial and repressive method towards the Egyptian people and opposition," said Mohamed Habib, deputy leader of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood.
Laura Bush said on Monday that Mubarak's proposal to introduce direct presidential elections was bold and wise and that political reform must happen slowly.
"We feel the speed is not even slow, but even backwards sometimes," said Mazen Mustafa, a member of the liberal Ghad Party and the Kefaya protest movement.
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"I don't think Mrs Bush represents the administration and she is not aware of the government's low manoeuvres," he added.
A leading member of the liberal Wafd Party, Mohamed Elwan, said: "What she said matters to the rulers because it is in the hands of foreigners to keep them in their positions."
He added: "Dictatorial and despotic regimes are always backed by foreign interests because they are more responsive to the outside world than if they were democracies"
Laura Bush's remarks, made during a visit to the pyramids at Giza on the outskirts of Cairo, adopted the Egyptian government position on Mubarak's proposal and on the pace of reform which Egypt can sustain.
The opposition says that a constitutional amendment on how to choose the president will in effect ensure that the ruling National Democratic Party can stay in power indefinitely.
They are calling on Egyptians to boycott Wednesday's referendum on the amendment, which sets tough conditions for independents and political parties to seek the presidency.
The recognised parties have an exemption from the conditions this year but analysts say that, after years of exclusion from the mainstream media, they cannot field a credible rival to Mubarak, who is widely expected to seek a fifth six-year term.
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