Clinton heads to turbulent Mideast
From Paris, Clinton travels to Cairo and Tunis, where she’ll urge transitional Egyptian and Tunisian leaders to heed demands for change that fueled popular uprisings that ousted longtime autocratic rulers. On her last Mideast trip, in January as unrest gripped Tunisia, Clinton delivered a stark warning to Arab governments that they risked “sinking into the sand” if they did not address the demands their peoples.
A day later, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled into exile, emboldening protesters in other nations, notably Egypt where mass demonstrations a month later forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down.Continue Reading
Clinton is particularly keen to ensure that their successors follow through on meeting the aspirations of the demonstrators and, in particular, ensure respect for human rights. In both Cairo and Tunis, she will speak with activists to encourage them to continue to make their voices heard but also to be patient as the transitions pick up steam.
Violence appeared to be growing elsewhere in the region. In Yemen, at least 100 people were wounded Sunday when police fired bullets and tear gas at protesters in Sanaa. The government’s tactics have turned increasingly violent in the weeks since demonstrators began calling for the resignation of Yemen’s longtime leader, President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Anti-government protests in Bahrain turned more disruptive during the weekend. Thousands of demonstrators cut off the island kingdom’s financial center and drove back police, and clashes between those favoring the ruling minority Sunnis and those backing the majority Shiites raised fears of open sectarian conflict.
In a statement Sunday from the White House, press secretary Jay Carney said the U.S. strongly condemned the violence erupting in Yemen and Bahrain and urged their governments to show restraint and to respect “the universal rights of their people.”
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