CNN.com U.S. pushes for government, opposition to begin negotiations in Egypt
Washington (CNN) -- The United States is stepping up pressure on the opposition to begin immediate negotiations with the Egyptian government, recognizing the orderly transition to democracy President Barack Obama is calling for could prove difficult if President Hosni Mubarak stepped down immediately. "We can't dictate what an orderly transition means, but it's time for both of them to roll up their sleeves," one senior State Department official said. "The government has to take some steps, but the opposition has to be willing to participate in negotiations, as well." Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman made some "important statements" about a political dialogue, the senior official said, but added the Egyptian government should allow the opposition to bring its own ideas to the table, rather than dictate the pace and scope of a transformation to democracy. On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden talked with Suleiman and insisted that "credible, inclusive negotiations (should) begin immediately" with opposition political groups, a statement from Biden's office said. That sentiment was reiterated by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, who told reporters "it is important that we all begin to see meaningful steps, and that negotiations take place between the (current) government and a broadly based group of members of the opposition as we work through the transition toward free and fair elections." U.S. lawmakers also chimed in, with foreign policy veterans Sens. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, and John McCain, R-Arizona, among those calling for Mubarak to step aside. Thursday night, the U.S. Senate gave unanimous approval to a resolution calling for Mubarak to "immediately begin an orderly and peaceful transition to a democratic political system, including the transfer of power to an inclusive interim caretaker government, in coordination with leaders from Egypt's opposition, civil society, and military, to enact the necessary reforms to hold free, fair, and internationally credible elections this year." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, condemned "in the strongest terms" attacks on journalists, human rights activists, and protesters, calling such incidents "a violation of international norms" and "unacceptable in any circumstances." "It is especially in times of crisis that governments must demonstrate their adherence to (core universal) values," she said. Journalists attempting to cover unrest in Egypt have reported being beaten, arrested and harassed by security forces and police, leading to sharply limited television coverage of the protests. The increasingly urgent push for reform comes as the Egyptian government pushed back on what it called "vague" statements from the Obama administration about the pace of transition. One Egyptian government official told CNN the United States has shown support for its "road map" for transitioning to democracy by the end of Mubarak's term in September, but said Obama's call for an "orderly transition" are at odds with his call for an immediate one. The official said Mubarak is being seen as a "receding figure" in Egyptian politics, but deposing him immediately would lead to a murky political process, which would prevent the free and fair elections the protesters are calling for. According to the Egyptian constitution, the presidency would be transferred to the speaker of the parliament if Mubarak leaves power without enacting certain legislative and constitutional reforms. "Institutionally, there is support in Egypt for this road map among the military, vice president and prime minister," the official said. "The bureaucracy thinks it has a degree of legitimacy and if the objective continues to be deposing the president now, they clearly don't understand the advantage that this road map will create a constitutional and administrative voice to the transition and is not going to lead to confusion." U.S. officials describe an opposition that is not altogether unified on whether to begin a dialogue with the government. Some, like former foreign minster and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, believe concessions made by Mubarak presented an opportunity to build upon; members of the Muslim Brotherhood have insisted no talks should take place until Mubarak steps down. "There are some people who see what is required to hold the type of elections they want to hold, they are looking at the administrative questions that have to be answered, and realize that will take a bit of time," the senior State Department official said. "They are focusing on elections and transformation of the system, rather than on Mubarak." U.S. officials believe Friday's protests will be an important barometer on whether serious negotiations can take place, and said the United States has urged Egypt's government to ensure protesters can demonstrate peacefully. "It's hard to imagine if there is a day of very bad violence it will lead to the type of dialogue that needs to take place," the senior State Department official said. The Egyptian official said conversations with Washington suggest the United States understands this process, but public statements from Obama, Clinton, and U.S. government spokesmen have sent mixed messages. "We understand the need to be vague and play to the street, but this is hardly the time," the official said. The United States continues to reach out to every country in the Middle East, not only to solicit their analysis and advice, but also to assure nervous allies that the United States stands with them during this tumultuous time in the region. "We are in a phase where the Mubarak era is ending in Egypt, either now or in September, and something this significant hasn't happened in the region in some time," the official added. "We are giving them the chance to give us their views and letting them know how significant this is." CNN's Elise Labott and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report Links referenced within this article Find this article at: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/02/04/egypt.us.response/index.html?hpt=T1 Click Here to Print SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close Uncheck the box to remove the list of links referenced in the article. © 2008 Cable News Network. ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
