|
Rice urges Egypt to extend change |
|
|
Monday, 20 June 2005US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged Egypt to press ahead with democratic reforms, following talks with President Hosni Mubarak.
She welcomed the recent constitutional amendment that allows for presidential elections with more than one candidate.
But she said the opposition must have access to the media and it is important to have "a sense of competition" in the poll planned for September.
Ms Rice is on a Middle East tour aimed at backing democratic change.
She warned Egypt that the world would be watching their elections.
"I believe they will take their responsibility seriously because people will watch what happens in Egypt," Ms Rice said after the meeting in the Sinai resort of Sharm al-Sheikh.
Her Egyptian counterpart promised the voting would be free and fair.
"Who would object to fair and transparent elections?" Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.
"It will be so, I assure you."
Distress in Washington
The secretary of state is due to fly to Cairo for a policy speech and talks with civil society representatives, before travelling to Saudi Arabia.
Ms Rice arrived from Jordan, where she said the US had failed for 60 years to do enough to promote democracy in the Middle East.
She said that this had allowed extremism to grow because people were unable to express themselves politically.
Analysts say the new US emphasis on reform has made it possible for opposition movements in the region to act more boldly.
In Egypt, the independent press has become openly critical of the president and a new movement has emerged, which calls on him to relinquish power.
But even so, the Egyptian opposition continues to distress Washington, the BBC's Heba Saleh reports from Cairo.
Many cite US support for Israel and its invasion of Iraq as reasons to be on guard.
They are also afraid that close contact with the US could be used against them to tar them with the all-too-frequent accusation of being US agents, our correspondent says.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/06/20 09:05:50 GMT
T® BBC MMV
|
Monday, 20 June 2005
US
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LATEST NEWS
FROM AMERICAS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MOST VISITED NEWS (DAILY) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
