US President Barack Obama told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak not to stand for re-election nor to put forward his son, the BBC has learned. The message was carried by former US Ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner, and stopped short of asking Mr Mubarak to step down immediately. The White House had previously said it was not Mr Obama's place to pick Egypt's leader. On Tuesday night, Mr Mubarak said he would not stand for re-election. However, Mr Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt for the past three decades, said nothing about his son, Gamal Mubarak, whom he is seen as having positioned to be his successor. BBC state department correspondent Kim Ghattas, in Washington, says the US hopes Mr Mubarak has figured out on his own that he has got to go now, rather than stand down after the presidential election in September. Washington has sought to make it clear that it understands the grievances of the Egyptian people, while also making clear it wants them to be able to pick their next leader, our correspondent says. Mr Wisner, a veteran US diplomat, was despatched to Cairo on Monday. Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama is meeting national security advisers in Washington to discuss the situation in Egypt and reportedly watched Mr Mubarak's speech with them. Earlier on Tuesday, US Senator John Kerry, a top Washington foreign policy voice, urged Mr Mubarak to pledge that neither he nor his son would stand in the presidential election. Writing in the New York Times, Mr Kerry said Mr Mubarak had to accept Egypt's stability "hinges on his willingness to step aside gracefully". Responding after Mr Mubarak's statement on Tuesday evening, he said: "I believe that President Mubarak should now work with the military and civil society to establish an interim caretaker government. "It remains to be seen whether this is enough to satisfy the demands of the Egyptian people for change." Mr Kerry said the Egyptian people had made clear that they wanted a future offering greater democracy and greater economic opportunity. "Now, that future belongs to them to shape. The Egyptian people are writing the next chapter of Egyptian history," he said. The US state department on Tuesday ordered the departure of all non-emergency US government personnel and their families from Egypt and said it would continue to help any US citizens wishing to leave. About 1,600 US citizens and their family members have been evacuated since Monday, the state department said. Some 400 were flown to "safe havens" in Istanbul and Athens on Tuesday on government-chartered planes. Source: BBC