Saturday, February 12, 2011

World leaders hailed the toppling of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak Friday as a historic victory for people power, with U.S. and European officials pledging assistance to help Egypt make the transition to democracy.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Mubarak’s resignation reflected the will of the Egyptian people and called on the country’s powerful military to ensure a transition to “genuine democracy.”

In the Middle East, governments and parties congratulated the Egyptian people and expressed confidence in the military while an Israeli government official offered a cautious reaction to Mubarak’s departure.
“The people of Egypt have spoken,” said Obama, adding that “Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day.”

Obama acknowledged that this was just the beginning of Egypt’s transition to democracy, saying that “there will be many difficult days ahead and many questions remain unanswered.”

Obama underlined that the military must lay out a clear path toward fair elections. He pointed out that the army must end the state of emergency and protects citizens’ rights.
“It is a historic day for the people of Egypt,” declared U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.

In an apparent effort to calm Israeli concerns, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said it was important that the next government of Egypt uphold its 1979 peace treaty with Israel.
An Israeli government official described the moment as “too important to draw immediate conclusions about the outcome.”

“We hope that the transition to democracy, for Egypt and for its neighbors, will be done smoothly,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But mixed with the messages of hope was concern for the future of a critical partner in the Middle East peace process, lingering fear of violent unrest – and guilt over the close partnership that many Western countries shared with Mubarak’s regime.

“Mubarak’s tyranny was typical across the region, and it is Europe’s shame that we sustained them,” said Edward McMillan-Scott, the European Parliament’s vice president for democracy and human rights.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed hope that whoever comes to power works to “uphold peace in the Middle East and respect the treaties concluded with Israel,” while French President Nicolas Sarkozy said reforms are needed quickly so Egypt “can keep its place in the world at the service of peace.”
Sarkozy described Mubarak’s decision to quit as “courageous and necessary” at a “historic moment” for Egypt after weeks of protest and demand for change.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said that with Mubarak’s departure Egypt now had a “really precious moment of opportunity to have a government that can bring the country together.” He added: “Those who now run Egypt have a duty to reflect the wishes of the Egyptian people.”
Russia offered a more guarded reaction, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressing hope the power shift “will help the restoration of stability.”

An unusual joint statement from EU president Herman Van Rompuy, foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Jose Manuel Barroso, head of the executive European Commission, said the EU “salutes the courage of the Egyptian people” and called for the formation of a civilian government.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also called for the “early establishment of civilian rule.”

Italy gave Friday a cool reception to Mubarak’s fall, following an earlier call from Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for Mubarak to stay on during a transition period. “We take note of the evolution that has happened in Egypt. This is an important development for the Egyptian people and its legitimate democratic aspirations,” Foreign Minister Franco Frattini stated.

In Beirut, Hezbollah congratulated the Egyptian people for the “historical and glorious victory that their pioneering revolution has achieved.”
The party expressed its pride over the achievements of the Egyptian people. “The will, determination and perseverance of the people are the key to the ability to make miracles and achieve victories for their cause, and their nation.”

In Iran, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi congratulated the “great Egyptian nation for this victory.”
“We hope that the civil movement in Egypt can complete its victory through resistance and by a strong will so that it can successfully reach all its demands.”

In a Twitter message, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said: “Congratulations to the Egyptian people.”
U.A.E. foreign minister expressed his confidence “in the ability of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in running the country’s affairs.”

The U.A.E. “is always keen to foster brotherly, distinguished [and] historic ties with Egypt in a way that serves the interests of the two brotherly countries and their” people, he said.

Qatar’s government called the transition in Egypt to military rule “a positive and important step toward achieving the aspirations of the Egyptian people for democracy, reform, and a decent life.”

Libya’s revolutionary committees, backbone of the country’s leader Moammar Gadhafi, congratulated the people and urged them “to take power in a democratic system that guarantees liberty,” and not to “surrender to [political] parties power won by blood.”

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri hailed the Egyptian revolution and called on the new leadership in Egypt to “take an immediate decision to lift the blockade of Gaza and open Rafah [border] crossing permanently.”

The Jordanian government expressed “its confidence in the ability of the Egyptian armed forces to … [run] Egypt’s affairs” and ensure Egypt’s “central role in the Arab region,” a statement reported. – Agencies