Obama: Mubarak's Resignation Starts Transition

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says Hosni Mubarak's resignation is the beginning, not the end, of the transition to democracy in Egypt.

Speaking just hours after Mubarak relinquished the presidency, Obama said the longtime Egyptian leader responded to his people's hunger for change. But he warned that there will still be difficult days ahead for Egypt as it works toward free and fair elections.

Mubarak's three decades of authoritarian rule ended Friday when he handed power to the Egyptian military following 18 days of protests calling for his ouster.