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Egypt needs ’free, democratic’ 2011 vote: US senator

29 January 2011 02:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. US Senator John Kerry on Friday urged President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to quiet violent unrest there by promising that September elections will reflect "a free and open democratic process", APA reports quoting AFP.
"In the final analysis, it is not with rubber bullets and water cannons that order will be restored," said Kerry, a Democratic White House ally who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"President Mubarak has the opportunity to quell the unrest by guaranteeing that a free and open democratic process will be in place when the time comes to choose the country’s next leader later this year," he said in a statement.
At least eight people have died in four straight days of protests in Egypt, a major beneficiary of US aid.
Kerry’s comments came as Egypt state television showed images of a blaze, apparently set by protesters, consuming the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party in Cairo.
The senator expressed "grave concern" about the unrest and warned: "We know that repression will not remedy the problems that leave people in Egypt and across the Middle East feeling hopeless and frustrated."
Still, he praised Egypt as "an important American ally" even as he called on "the Egyptian government and security forces to exercise restraint in dealing with protesters and to respect the human rights of its citizens to seek greater participation in their own government."
"The Egyptian government also should immediately restore communications and access to social networking sites," said Kerry, who also urged the demonstrators to recall "the lessons and legacy" of non-violent protesters like Martin Luther King Jr in the United States and Mahatma Gandhi in India.
"The time has come for governments in the region to urgently improve governance and transparency, open the field to true opposition and new political identities, create real avenues for listening to and considering the wants and needs of their citizens, and demonstrate to younger generations that they will have better opportunities tomorrow than they do today," he said.
Kerry’s counterpart in the House of Representatives, Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, said in a statement she was "deeply concerned about the Egyptian government’s heavy-handed response" to the demonstrations.
"For far too long the democratic hopes of the Egyptian people have been suppressed. Their cries for freedom can no longer be silenced," Ros-Lehtinen, who leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement.
"I am further concerned that certain extremist elements inside Egypt will manipulate the current situation for nefarious ends," she said, without elaborating.
"The US and other responsible nations must work together to support the pursuit of freedom, democracy, and human rights in Egypt and throughout the world," she said.