United States Will Not Take Sides In Egypt Crisis

The United States will not take sides in Egypt's upheaval, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said on Monday (July 15), in an attempt to address concerns on both sides of the political divide.

"Only Egyptians can determine their future. I did not come with American solutions, nor did I come to lecture anyone. We know that Egyptians must forge their own path to democracy. We know that this will not mirror our own and we will not try to impose our model on Egypt. What the United States will do is stand behind certain basic principles, not any particular personalities or parties," he said.

"Despite our concerns about the developments of the last two weeks we believe that the ongoing is another opportunity following the January 25th revolution to create a democratic state that protects human rights and the rule of law and that enables the economic prosperity of its citizens. We that it will be a chance to learn some of the lessons and correct some of the mistakes of the past two years," he said.

"I don't think, to answer the last part of your question, that Egypt is in danger of repeating that tragedy that we see in Syria today. I think the lessons of that horrible experience are clear to everyone across the region. It seems to me, based on my conversations over the last day and half and previous conversations in Egypt that Egyptians understand very well the dangers of polarisation and the risks that escalating tensions among different parts of this society can pose to the chances of genuine reconciliation," he said.

"We support the adoption of reforms that can lead to an early IMF agreement while sustaining funding for social safety net programmes. We believe these measures offer a path to address the entirely justifiable aspirations of the revolution and realise the economic potential of Egypt and its people," he said.