Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. US Calls For Egypt to Release Detained Protesters, Journalists VOA News February 08, 2011 Egyptian anti-Mubarak protesters shout out during a protest in al Manoura, Egypt, Feb 8, 2011 Photo: AP Egyptian anti-Mubarak protesters shout out during a protest in al Manoura, Egypt, Feb 8, 2011 The Obama administration is calling on the Egyptian government to make continued progress toward promised reforms and to immediately release all detained protesters and journalists. The White House says Vice President Joe Biden spoke to his counterpart in Egypt Tuesday to emphasize the Egyptian government must stop beating, harassing and detaining protesters and those reporting on the massive demonstrations. The statement said Biden also told Omar Suleiman that Egypt should include a broad range of opposition members in developing a plan for transitioning the government.  White House spokesman Robert Gibbs relayed a similar message Tuesday. He called for concrete steps that move the country toward a free and fair election. Earlier in the day, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it is "quite critical" that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's government move forward and fulfill its promises of reforms. In his first public comments on the situation in Egypt, Gates said it is important that the country have an orderly political transition in which the people can see steady progress in implementing the promised reforms. He said the pro-democracy demonstrations in Egypt and Tunisia should inspire other Middle Eastern governments to begin moving in a "positive direction" toward addressing the political and economic grievances of their people. U.S. President Barack Obama has called for a transition in Egypt that engages all parties and leads to democratic practices, free and fair elections, and a representative government that is responsive to the grievances of the people. U.S. government figures indicate the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided $1.5 billion in assistance to Egypt last year, mostly for security. The budget request for 2011 is about the same. U.S. officials say there are no plans to cut off the aid, but caution the assistance will be reviewed as events unfold. Mr. Mubarak, who has been president for nearly three decades, has responded to the protests by declaring that he will not run for a sixth term in a September election. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. .