Cameron starts to admit West's mistakes in Arab countries
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Jan 29, IRNA -- Prime Minister David Cameron has started to concede mistakes made in Western policies towards the Arab states as mass protests continue in Egypt despite the appointment of a new government.
'In the past sometimes we in the West have taken a rather simple view that what matters is just the act of holding an election,' Cameron said in calling for reforms in Egypt.
'Real democracy is about the building blocks you put in place about the rule of law, the rights, the strength of your civil society, the freedoms you have in that country,” he said.
On Thursday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague called on Egypt and other Arab countries facing widespread protests to listen to the concerns of those demonstrating and respect rights of freedom of assembly and expression.
“It is important in this situation to respond positively to legitimate demands for reform, to move towards openness and transparency and greater political freedom,” Hague said, while visiting Syria.
In an interview with CNN, Cameron said that the West needed to take “a more mature and thoughtful approach to these countries and recognise it's those building blocks that in the end make your country democratic, strong, accountable.”
'Rather than simply believing democracy is just the act of going to the polls, it's so much more than that,' he said, adding that Britain knew this from its own history 'and we need to apply that thinking to other countries too'.
Demonstrations continued overnight in Cairo, calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down despite sacking his government and saying he would give the new cabinet clear instructions to deal with 'the priorities of the current phase'.
In his latest statement, Hague warned against all but essential travel to Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Suez, saying that the “safety of British nationals is absolutely paramount.”
His warning came as the death toll in Egypt reportedly reached at least 26 since the protests began on Tuesday, with hundreds also injured.
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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30211599
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