says Condoleeza Rice...

Rice: 60 years of US intervention in Middle East has been a failure; The Scotsman, 21 June 2005; BEN LYNFIELDIN JERUSALEM


US SECRETARY of State Condoleezza Rice made a forceful case for democracy in the Muslim world last night in a major policy speech in Egypt. The US pursuit of stability in the Middle East at the expense of democracy had "achieved neither", she admitted, telling Egypt's conservative government leaders "the fear of free choices can no longer justify the denial of liberty". Ms Rice's remarks were to some 700 invited government officials, academics and other guests at the American University in Cairo.

The setting is notable, both because Egypt plans multi-party elections in the autumn and because the Bush administration has made no secret of its dissatisfaction with political progress and the treatment of opposition figures by the government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. "For 60 years, my country, the US, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region, here in the Middle East, and we achieved neither," Ms Rice said. "Now, we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people."

Her speech sets the backdrop today for the first meeting between Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, since the Middle East ceasefire was announced in February, as tension between the two sides continues to mount.