US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned that the immediate removal of President Hosni Mubarak from power could threaten Egypt’s transition to democracy. Clinton’s made the remark to reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, citing the Egyptian constitution. If Mubarak stepped down straight away, Egypt would have to hold elections for a new president in less than 60 days. Clinton reiterated that Mubarak’s future was up to the Egyptian people and declined to discuss what role he should play between now and September, when Egypt is scheduled to hold regular presidential election in which Mubarak has said neither he would not participate.
“Now the Egyptians are the ones who have to grapple with the reality of what they must do,” she said, noting that opposition leaders, including Mohamed ElBaradei, had also talked about the need for time. “That’s not us saying it; that’s the Egyptians saying it,” Clinton was quoted by the ‘New York Times’ as saying. She made no mention of the desired outcome frequently discussed by protest leaders: that. Mubarak would step down, the constitution would be suspended for a transition that could take up to a year, the current parliament would be dissolved and new elections would be held.
On Sunday, Vice President Omar Suleiman met with opposition leaders, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood. He promised a draft list within a month of changes needed to hold free elections. Over the weekend, protesters remained on the streets of Cairo, insisting that Mubarak step down before his term ends in September, although there was none of the violence that erupted last week. In an interview with ‘National Public Radio’ in the US, Hillary Clinton said the Muslim Brotherhood's decision to engage with the government suggested it was now involved in the type of dialogue that Washington has encouraged.
