Hillary Clinton: “It is time to take concrete steps”
With Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in danger of being toppled by waves of street protests, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged "a peaceful, orderly transition to a democratic regime."
"The U.S. expects that the protests in Egypt will lead to free and fair elections as part of an "orderly" transition to "real democracy," Clinton said Sunday as the Obama administration worked to get a handle on the fast-moving upheaval shaking the American ally.
"I want the Egyptian people to have a chance to chart a new future. We have tried, in our partnership with Egypt, to make the point over and over again about what will create a better pathway for the Egyptian people - that is, an open, democratic political system and more economic opportunity.
Now is the time to move toward a national dialogue, to take concrete steps, to create the political space for peaceful protest and for the creation of peaceful oppositions that want to help work toward a better future. That is what we want to see," said Clinton.
