Clinton Calls for Egypt's Transition to Democracy, Urges Path to Avoid Power Vacuum

The United States wants to see steps taken to transition Egypt to a democracy, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday in remarks that avoided stating a U.S. preference about Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's fate but offered several positive marks for Egypt's army.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Clinton said that no one is satisfied right now with the response to protests that have been ongoing for nearly a week and growing in strength each day, but now is the time to pursue greater political freedom, economic opportunity and a path to democracy.

"For 30 years, the United States, Republican and Democratic administrations, have been urging Mubarak to take certain steps. In fact, we have been urging that a vice president be appointed for decades, and that finally has happened, but there's a long way to go," Clinton said.

Acknowledging Mubarak's role in securing peace regionally over the past 30 years he has been in power, the secretary of state said for three decades Egypt's president has promised but not delivered reform in his own country. She said the time has come to respond to the Egyptian people's "legitimate grievances."

 

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