Clinton to Egypt's Mursi: Start dialogue with military leaders for democratic transition

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton used her first meeting with Egypt's new Islamist president to press Mohammed Mursi to start a dialogue with military leaders as a way of preserving the country's transition to democracy.

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Reaffirming Washington's "strong support" for Egypt's democratic transition, after talks with newly-elected President Mohamed Mursi, Clinton said "We want to be a good partner and we want to support the democracy that has been achieved by the courage and sacrifice of the Egyptian people."

Clinton to meet Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi

?During her two-day visit to Egypt, the top US diplomat will also meet Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi -- the country's interim military ruler after Hosni Mubarak was ousted in an uprising last year -- as well as women activists and Coptic leaders.

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Clinton steps into the political mainstorm? of a complex power struggle between the Islamist president and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) that ruled Egypt after Mubarak was toppled.

?"Democracy is hard," she said. "It requires dialogue and compromise and real politics. We are encouraged and we want to
be helpful. But we know it is not for the United States it is for the Egyptian people to decide."
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Clinton's meeting with Mursi, a longtime member of the Muslim Brotherhood, comes after the country's first free presidential elections following the ouster of decades-old US ally Mubarak.

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?"We are very, very keen to meet you and happy you are here," Mursi told Clinton as they headed into their meeting at the presidential palace in Cairo's upmarket Heliopolis suburb.

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Clinton voiced support for the "full transition" to civilian rule at a time when Morsi's backers are in a political standoff with the generals who have ruled since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year.

?Resolving the impasse "requires dialogue and compromise, real politics," Clinton said. She said the United States is doing all it can to "support the democratically elected government and to help make it a success in delivering results for the people of Egypt."

? The meeting at the presidential palace kicked off a series of high-level sessions aimed at stabilising Egypt's fledgling democracy and its alliance with the United States, once rock-solid but now increasingly shaky.

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"Things change (at) kind of warp speed," Clinton told Morsi as they began their meeting.Clinton and Morsi didn't shake hands, at least when they first appeared before reporters -- a subject of much speculation because of Morsi's Muslim faith. But the president shook hands with Clinton and the entire US delegation behind closed doors, according to a US official.

The president, speaking in English, said, "We are very, very keen to meet you and happy that you are here." Clinton and Morsi were seated perpendicular to one another, the American on a sofa and the Egyptian on a chair.

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Mursi ordered parliament to convene, defying a military decision to disband the house after the country's top court ruled it invalid.

Mursi is in a showdown with the generals since at least ceremonially gaining power on June 30. Right before his inauguration, the generals retained stripped him of many powers and kept them for themselves.

?That move followed a decision last month by Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court to dissolve the Islamist-dominated? parliament, the first democratically elected, after ruling that a third of its members were elected illegally. Morsi has issued a decree to bring the lawmakers,many of whom are his allies in the Muslim Brotherhood, back into session.

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The US has been careful not to take sides, focusing on principles instead of personalities and parties. The Obama? administration has called on all sides to negotiate a path forward that remains faithful to the ideals of Egypt's 2011 revolution.
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Appearing at a news conference alongside Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr, Clinton said it was up to Egyptians to determine
their future. But she stressed American financial and political support for Egypt's new government. She was careful,however, to also praise Egypt's military council for its interim leadership.

Source: http://english.samaylive.com/world-news/676508671/clinton-to-egypt-s-mursi-start-dialogue-with-military-leaders-for-democratic-transition.html

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