Monday, February 07, 2011

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday the U.S. supports the transition to a new government now moving forward in Egypt while the United Nations said that a change should not be rushed to avoid worsening the crisis and destabilizing the entire region.
In the U.A.E., Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahayan warned Sunday against foreign meddling in Egypt, after he discussed the Egyptian crisis with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a “democratic transition” in Egypt “in the shortest possible time,” suggesting an interim government.

In an interview with National Public Radio, Clinton withheld judgment on the decision by the Muslim Brotherhood to enter into discussions with the government but said it must be up to the Egyptian people to decide if the reforms go far enough.

She said the U.S. has been clear about what it expects as Egypt moves toward a new government. “The Egyptian people are looking for an orderly transition that can lead to free and fair elections,” she said. “That’s what the U.S. has consistently supported. We are putting a lot into making sure the dialogue process that has begun is meaningful and transparent and leads to concrete actions.” The people of Egypt and the leaders of opposition groups will “ultimately determine if it is or is not meeting their needs,” she said.

The transition should be as inclusive and transparent as possible, Clinton added. While remaining noncommittal about the Brotherhood’s entry into the talks, she said “at least they are now involved in the dialogue.”

“We are going to wait and see how this develops,” she said. Her comment suggests the U.S. administration would be willing to work with a government that includes the Brotherhood, but only if certain conditions were met.
Stepping up a diplomatic effort for a quick transition in Egypt, Obama spoke Saturday to Sheikh Mohammad, British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a White House statement said. Obama underscored the need for “an orderly, peaceful transition, beginning now.”

Without giving details of the phone call, the official U.A.E. news agency WAM quoted the crown prince as saying: “The U.A.E. rejects all foreign attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Egypt.” Sheikh Mohammad also stressed the need for a smooth transition in Egypt, organized through its national institutions while taking constitutional terms into account, WAM added.

U.S. Senator John Kerry called on Mubarak to clarify the path forward toward democracy. “I think what we’ve heard from the news from Egypt about the meetings today with vice president Suleiman is frankly quite extraordinary,” the influential chairman of the Senate foreign affairs committee told NBC.

In Munich, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday he was concerned that the unrest in Egypt could have “serious implications” for the Middle East peace process. Ban, who was attending an annual security conference, told reporters that Mubarak and the Egyptian government have been key in the negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.

“This is why we are concerned,” he said. “Egypt has been playing a very strategic role in the Middle Eastern peace process; President Mubarak was one of the key players in trying to facilitate reconciliation.”

Ban met with the so-called Quartet of Middle East peacemakers – the U.N., the U.S. the EU and Russia – on the sidelines of the conference Saturday .

The group said in a statement that in view of the developments in the region, “further delay in the resumption of negotiations is detrimental to the prospects for regional peace and security.”

Ban would not say whether he thought Mubarak should stay on at the moment – saying that was up to the Egyptian people – but did say the U.N. is concerned that any move to a new government must be a smooth one.
“We would like to see a transition take place in an orderly and peaceful manner without having any negative sudden impact on the overall peace and stability in this region,” he said.

Erdogan also sounded a note of caution. “A democratic transition must be ensured in the shortest possible time. If this is achieved I believe the people will certainly accept such an outcome,” he told reporters. “But first the ground must be prepared … A reliable administration would provide the opportunity for such a base – this could be an interim election administration.”

Ban told reporters he had urged authorities in Cairo “to make the necessary changes and reforms as soon as possible. I hope the leaders of Egypt heed the calls of their own people.”
That was in tune with the message delivered in Munich by Clinton, Cameron and Merkel that Mubarak should step down now, if that is what the Egyptian people want.

“The more this is put off, the more we are likely to get an Egypt that we wouldn’t welcome,” said Cameron.
Merkel told the conference that her experiences from the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 had taught her that rushing into democratic elections was counterproductive and Egypt should take its time, once Mubarak departs, to prepare its institutions. – With agencies