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Economic Reforms are Necessary to Help Egyptian People Find Good Jobs

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today stressed that economic reforms are necessary to help Egyptian people find good jobs and to realize their own dreams during an interview with Shahira Amin of Nile TV

Shahira Amin: Let me start by asking you - you are the first and most senior official to visit Egypt since the popular revolt that led to the fall of President Mubarak. Why did you choose to be here at this time?

Secretary Clinton: Well, for three reasons. First, because I wanted to demonstrate the very high-level support that comes from President Obama, our Administration, and our country on behalf of the Egyptian people as you make this transition toward democracy. Secondly, I wanted to discuss with government officials what their needs were and how the United States could be helpful. And thirdly, I wanted to meet with representatives of civil society, the youth revolution, other Egyptians who brought their own perspective to the table, so that I could listen carefully, so that I would know what we could do that would be most helpful to you.

Shahira Amin: Egyptians are looking forward to a secular civil state, but most important, they dream of a free and democratic Egypt. How exactly does the United States intend to support the democratic transition? Is there a roadmap?

Secretary Clinton: I think that it will have to be an Egyptian roadmap because this is an Egyptian commitment to move toward a free and democratic future. We have the greatest respect for Egypt's 7,000 years of civilization. We are a young country by comparison. But we are the oldest democracy in the world. So we have some idea, having gone through these stages our self and having worked with other countries, what it will take to ensure that the road to democracy is not detoured, that the dreams of the Egyptian people are not derailed. And so we think that there are steps that have to be taken, which you are already planning for.

Obviously, elections are a big part of a democracy, but not the only part. Political parties, the idea of protecting the rights of all Egyptians, the - as you say, the secular state that will respect each individual Egyptian - all of that is important along with a free press, an independent judiciary, and other democratic institutions.

We also think there are economic reforms that are necessary to help the Egyptian people have good jobs, to find employment, to realize their own dreams. And so on both of those tracks - the political reform and the economic reform - we want to be helpful.

Shahira Amin: Let me be honest with you. Many Egyptians are disappointed. They say the Obama Administration didn't throw its full weight behind the popular movement right from the start. The U.S. was a bit hesitant before finally extending its support to the opposition activists in Tahrir. And some are calling it "double standards." They say the U.S. preaches democracy and freedom on the one hand, and supports autocratic regimes when it suits their own interests.

Secretary Clinton: Well, first let me say that I don't think there's any doubt that the United States, President Obama, all of us stand for democracy and for the values that undergird democracy. And we spent a lot of time trying to make sure that the demonstrations in Tahrir Square, which I was very excited to visit myself this morning, were peaceful. That was our message from the very beginning. There is no doubt about that - that the people had a right to demonstrate, that their rights needed to be respected, and that the government had a duty to do so.

To the credit of your army and other officials, we saw a largely positive response from the army, and even standing against the security forces that were trying to disrupt the demonstrations. That stands in stark contrast to what we're seeing in Libya, for example. So the United States was very clear about its messages, that from the beginning, this needed to be peaceful, nonviolent, respecting the rights of the individual demonstrators and having a reform agenda that would meet those needs.

Source: U.S. Department of State