Secretary of State Presses for Genuine Reform in the ME

In her speech at the American University in Cairo, Mrs. Rice referred to President George W Bush's second inaugural address, in which he laid out his aim to help people around the world determine their democratic processes without the imposition US-style government She added that in the past 60 years the U.S. has been attempting to pursue the policy of installing stability in the Middle East, which according to her came at the expense of democracy.

She also stressed that excuses that have been persistently used by ME regimes and that have functioned as a barrier to democratic transformation should be abandoned. Moreover, she commended President Mubarak's initiative for opening the door for competitive presidential elections which according to her should meet objective international standards. Violent incidents that took place during the referendum on May 25th in Egypt, in which several women were sexually harassed and molested, were fiercely condemned by Mrs. Rice. She also declared that international monitoring of elections should be allowed without any restrictions.

In regards to Iraq, Mrs. Rice praised the courage of the Iraqi people who despite dangers managed to restore their sovereignty and actively participate in the first Iraqi democratic elections ever held.

As for Palestine, Mrs., Rice expressed a high level of optimism in the possibility of establishing an independent democratic Palestinian state. She praised the efforts exerted by both the Palestinians and the Israelis who genuinely seek to attain peace and discard terror.

Concerning Syria, Mrs. Rice demanded that the Syrian regime refrain form harassing and embarrassing democracy activists and from harboring violent groups who disturb stability in neighboring states such as Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine.

In summary, Mrs. Rice's speech can be considered a continuation to the unrelenting U.S. efforts to democratize the whole ME region. Therefore, such a stand should be followed by more U.S. pressure which has actually proven to be successful in pushing authoritarian regimes to implement reform.