Clinton and Kerry Call for Reform and Concrete Steps Towards Transition

On Sunday, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to address his nation and clarify what the timetable and process for transition will be.  ”The most important thing now,” Kerry said, “is to guarantee the process is in place where there are free and fair elections.”  Speaking on NPR on Sunday, U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that she had spoken to Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman and pressed him to issue timelines and ensure that the dialogue process is transparent and meaningful and leads to concrete steps towards transition.  Clinton also called on other Arab leaders to implement economic and political reform.  Speaking to Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik on Saturday, Clinton also emphasized the need to ensure that the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people are met and that a broad cross-section of civil society and political actors are involved in the transition process.