President Barack Obama delivered these remarks in Washington, DC

President Obama. Good evening, everybody. My administration has been closely monitoring the situation in Egypt, and I know that we will be learning more tomorrow when day breaks. As the situation continues to unfold, our first concern is preventing injury or loss of life. So I want to be very clear in calling upon the Egyptian authorities to refrain from any violence against peaceful protestors.

The people of Egypt have rights that are universal. That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to free speech, and the ability to determine their own destiny. These are human rights. And the United States will stand up for them everywhere.

I also call upon the Egyptian government to reverse the actions that they've taken to interfere with access to the Internet, to cell phone service and to social networks that do so much to connect people in the 21st century.

At the same time, those protesting in the streets have a responsibility to express themselves peacefully. Violence and destruction will not lead to the reforms that they seek.

Now, going forward, this moment of volatility has to be turned into a moment of promise. The United States has a close partnership with Egypt and we've cooperated on many issues, including working together to advance a more peaceful region. But we've also been clear that there must be reform—political, social, and economic reforms that meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people.

In the absence of these reforms, grievances have built up over time. When President Mubarak addressed the Egyptian people tonight, he pledged a better democracy and greater economic opportunity. I just spoke to him after his speech and I told him he has a responsibility to give meaning to those words, to take concrete steps and actions that deliver on that promise.

Violence will not address the grievances of the Egyptian people. And suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. What's needed right now are concrete steps that advance the rights of the Egyptian people: a meaningful dialogue between the government and its citizens, and a path of political change that leads to a future of greater freedom and greater opportunity and justice for the Egyptian people.

Now, ultimately the future of Egypt will be determined by the Egyptian people. And I believe that the Egyptian people want the same things that we all want—a better life for ourselves and our children, and a government that is fair and just and responsive. Put simply, the Egyptian people want a future that befits the heirs to a great and ancient civilization.

The United States always will be a partner in pursuit of that future. And we are committed to working with the Egyptian government and the Egyptian people—all quarters—to achieve it.

Around the world governments have an obligation to respond to their citizens. That's true here in the United States; that's true in Asia; it is true in Europe; it is true in Africa; and it's certainly true in the Arab world, where a new generation of citizens has the right to be heard.

When I was in Cairo, shortly after I was elected President, I said that all governments must maintain power through consent, not coercion. That is the single standard by which the people of Egypt will achieve the future they deserve.

Surely there will be difficult days to come. But the United States will continue to stand up for the rights of the Egyptian people and work with their government in pursuit of a future that is more just, more free, and more hopeful.

Thank you very much.

Secretary Hillary Clinton delivered these remarks in Washington, DC

Q. I know our time with you is limited. Let me get right to it. On Monday, you said that the Egyptian Government was stable and was looking for ways to respond to the wishes of the people. Have you changed your view?

Secretary Clinton. David, this is a very volatile situation, and I think that as we monitor it closely we continue to urge the Egyptian Government, as the United States has for 30 years, to respond to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people and begin to take concrete steps to implement democratic and economic reform. At the same time, we recognize that we have to deal with the situation as it is, and we are heartened by what we hear from our contacts that, at least thus far, the army has been trying to bring a sense of order without violence. And we have to make a distinction, as they are attempting to do, between peaceful protestors whose aspirations need to be addressed, and then those who take advantage of such a situation for looting or other criminal activity.

And we have a very clear message: Long-term stability rests on responding to the legitimate needs of the Egyptian people, and that is what we want to see happen.

Q. Are you calling the regime of Hosni Mubarak stable this morning?

Secretary Clinton. I'm not going to get into either/or choices. What we're saying is that any efforts by this government to respond to the needs of their people, to take steps that will result in a peaceful, orderly transition to a democratic regime, is what is in the best interests of everyone, including the current government.

Q. You've talked about the steps that are necessary for the regime to take in order to really respond to the wishes of the people, your spokesman, P.J. Crowley, put on Twitter yesterday that, “The Egyptian Government can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat. President Mubarak's words pledging reform must be followed by action.”

Are you calling upon Egypt to call for free and fair elections, and will you ask Mubarak to say unequivocally that he will not run?

Secretary Clinton. We have been urging free and fair election for many years. I mean, I do think it's important to recognize that through Republican and Democratic administrations alike, America's message has been consistent. We want to see free and fair elections, and we expect that that will be one of the outcomes of what is going on in Egypt right now. So we have been sending that message over and over again, publicly and privately, and we continue to do so.

Q. But is the only way that Mubarak stays in power for now is if he calls immediately for free and fair elections and pledges that he will not run?

Secretary Clinton. David, these issues are up to the Egyptian people, and they have to make these decisions. But our position is very clear. We have urged for 30 years that there be a vice president, and finally a vice president was announced just a day or two ago. So we have tried to, in our partnership with Egypt, to make the point over and over again about what will create a better pathway for the Egyptian people in terms of greater participation with political reforms and greater economic opportunity.

I spoke about this very clearly in Doha, it seems like a long time ago but just about two weeks ago, where I outlined that whatever was possible in the 20^th century is no longer possible for regimes in the 21^st century. The world is moving too fast. There is too much information. People's aspirations and certainly the rise of middle classes throughout the world demand responsive, participatory government. And that is what we expect to see happen.

Q. Well, I just want to pin you down on this, Secretary Clinton. Do you think that the Mubarak regime has taken the necessary steps to retain power?

Secretary Clinton. Oh, I think that there are many, many steps that have to be taken. And it's not a question of who retains power. That should not be the issue. It's how are we going to respond to the legitimate needs and grievances expressed by the Egyptian people and chart a new path. Clearly, the path that has been followed has not been one that has created that democratic future, that economic opportunity that people in the peaceful protests are seeking.

So it's our very strong advice, which we have delivered. President Obama spoke with President Mubarak, I've spoken with my counterpart, Secretary Gates has spoken with his. This is an ongoing conversation that American officials have had for 30 years. Now is the time to move toward a national dialogue, to take concrete steps, to create the political space for peaceful protest and for the creation of peaceful oppositions that want to help work toward a better future. That is what we want to see.

Q. Should Mubarak lose power? Will the United States offer him sanctuary?

Secretary Clinton. I believe strongly that we are only at the beginning of what is unfolding in Egypt. I'm not going to go into hypotheticals and speculation, other than to say that President Mubarak and his government have been an important partner to the United States. I mean, let's not just focus on today. This is a government that made and kept a peace with Israel that was incredibly important, avoiding violence, turmoil, death in the region. But so much more has to be done, and that is what we are urging.

Q. But you'd like to see him stay in power?

Secretary Clinton. David, you cannot keep trying to put words in my mouth. I've never said that. I don't intend to say that. I want the Egyptian people to have the chance to chart a new future. It needs to be an orderly, peaceful transition to real democracy, not faux democracy like the elections we saw in Iran two years ago, where you have one election 30 years ago and then the people just keep staying in power and become less and less responsive to their people. We want to see a real democracy that reflects the vibrancy of Egyptian society. And we believe that President Mubarak, his government, civil society, political activists, need to be part of a national dialogue to bring that about.

Q. Before you go, are Americans in danger in Egypt?

Secretary Clinton. We're working closely with the Egyptian Government to ensure the safety of American citizens. We have authorized a voluntary departure. We're reaching out to American citizens. As I'm speaking to you at this point, thankfully we do not have any reports of any American citizens killed or injured. We want to keep it that way. So we are just working triple-time here at the State Department to ensure the safety of our Americans.

Q. Secretary Clinton, thank you.

Secretary Clinton. Thank you.

Secretary Hillary Clinton delivered these remarks in Washington, DC

Q. We're just off the line with Liz Palmer, our person in Cairo, and during her report, F-16s, Egyptian air force warplanes, apparently were flying low over the demonstrators in the main part of Cairo. Do you know what this is about?

Secretary Clinton. Bob, I don't, and let me repeat again what President Obama and I have been saying, and that is to urge the Egyptian security forces to show restraint, to not respond in any way through violence or intimidation. That falls upon the peaceful protestors who are demanding that their grievances be heard. And obviously, our reports up until now have been that the Egyptian army had taken up positions, that they were showing such restraint. And we strongly urge that that continue.

What the people who are in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in Egypt are protesting for is the right to participate in their government, to have economic opportunity, for their human rights to be respected. We are very clearly asking both in public and private that the Egyptian authorities respond to that, that they start a process of national dialogue that will lead to a transition to such democracy, and what President Mubarak himself said the other day—that they would begin to take concrete steps for democratic and economic reform—we expect to see happen.

Q. Madam Secretary, do you think those things are possible if President Mubarak stays in office, or is he eventually going to have to leave?

Secretary Clinton. I'm not going to speculate, Bob. What we are focused on now is a transition that will meet the needs of the Egyptian people and that will truly establish democracy, not just for one election and then no more elections after that, or not for radicals, extremists, violent elements to take over. We want to see the—what really was at the core of the protests, which were people saying, “Hey, we deserve a better life. We deserve more opportunity to be respected and responded to.” And that is what we've been conveying and that's what we will continue to make very clear, and we stand ready to assist.

Q. Do you—are you concerned that if President Mubarak does go, it may give an opportunity for the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been the opposition to his government for so many years, could somehow come to power? I think most people agree they were not the start of this or the cause of these demonstrations. But where do you see—what role do you see them playing if Mr.—President Mubarak should go?

Secretary Clinton. Well, first, I'm not speculating about who goes or who stays. And I'm not prepared to comment on what kind of democratic process the Egyptian people can construct for themselves. But we obviously want to see people who are truly committed to democracy, not to imposing any ideology on Egyptians. And therefore, we would like to encourage that people who have been the voice of protest and been the voice of civil society be the ones at the table trying to design what would be an orderly transition to meet the democratic and economic needs of the people.

Bob, we're all very conscious of the fact that Egypt is an incredibly important country, a large country with great influence in the region and meaning for the Arab world. And we want to see the outcome of what started as peaceful protests legitimately demanding redress for grievances to result in a true democracy. Not a phony one like we saw with Iranian elections, not to see a small group that doesn't represent the full diversity of Egyptian society take over and try to impose their own religious or ideological beliefs. We want to see the full diversity and dynamism of Egyptian society represented.

Q. Do you believe that his appointment of a new vice president—is that helpful?

Secretary Clinton. Well, it's something that American Government representatives have been urging and requesting for 30 years. I talked—I've talked with former ambassadors over the last weeks who have said, “Boy, I remember when I went in in 1980-this or 1990-that.” So yes, it's something we have said is absolutely imperative. It finally has happened. There are some new people taking responsibility in government. We hope that they can contribute to the kind of democratic and economic reforms that the people of Egypt deserve.

Q. So far, though, it does not seem that anything that Mr. Mubarak has said or done up until this point has, in any way, tempered these demonstrations. I mean, things seem to be getting worse rather than better.

Secretary Clinton. Well, I think there are several things going on. But first and foremost, words alone are not enough. There have to be actions. There has to be a demonstrable commitment to the kind of reforms that we all know are needed and desired, but also too, there is now, unfortunately, in addition to the legitimate, peaceful protests that are going on, lots of reports of looting, prison breaks, and the like. So it makes the situation much more complicated than it even was before, because everyone wants to ensure that the right of assembly, the right of association, the right of free expression be protected, that there be no violence against the protests.

At the same time, people in the streets have to refrain from violence themselves. And I've heard many stories of Egyptians protecting their national museum, protecting their homes. And they're protecting them from looters and from criminals. So this is an incredibly complex set of circumstances, and we are hoping and praying that the authorities will be able to respond to the legitimate requests for participation by the peaceful protestors. Let's begin to see some meetings with representatives of the government and representatives of civil society. Let's begin to see some steps taken that will lead toward free, fair, and credible elections in the future.

Those will begin to put some substance behind the words and give the protestors who are trying to see a future for Egypt that is responsive to their needs a reality that they can hang onto.

Q. All right. Madam Secretary, thank you so much.

Secretary Clinton. Thank you.

Secretary Hillary Clinton and Minister Nabil Al-Araby delivered these remarks in Cairo, Egypt

Foreign Minister Al-Araby. I'd like to speak in English first so that I would welcome the Secretary of State. We have had bilateral talks and multilateral talks. We discussed everything in Egypt, the Middle East in general, specifically Libya. We did discuss matters related to Palestine between us also. And I think on our part, we appreciated very much the responses from the Secretary of State. We are appreciative and we hope the very close relation with the United States would continue to flourish in the future.

Secretary Clinton. Well, let me begin by expressing how pleased I am to be back in Cairo and to have this opportunity to meet with the foreign minister and other members of the government to discuss a wide range of issues. But I want to begin by saying very clearly and directly to the people of Egypt that this moment of history belongs to you, that this is your achievement and you broke barriers and overcame obstacles to pursue the dream of democracy, and the United States and President Obama and I will stand with you as you make this journey.

Like so many Americans, we have watched with great admiration and inspiration not only the activities in Tahrir Square but the outpouring of support for a new future where Egyptians take control of their own destiny. And the solidarity that was shown among Egyptians across all lines was very moving to many of us.

This courage and solidarity will serve the people of Egypt well, because the road to democracy, as the United States knows, being the oldest democracy in the world, although nothing like the oldest civilization in the world. We know how hard this path is. And we congratulate you on embarking on what will be a very important next chapter in the storied history of Egypt.

As the foreign minister said, we had a comprehensive discussion on many issues. I came to listen more than talk. I wanted to hear directly about the needs that Egypt has, particularly economically, because we know that political reform must be matched by economic reform, that there must be jobs and rising incomes and opportunities for all.

And we also discussed the current situation in Libya. We are very concerned about the Egyptian citizens who are still in Libya. We have played a part in helping to bring Egyptians home who made it to Tunisia, but we know that there are many, many Egyptians who are still unable to come home.

We also support—and I will have an opportunity to discuss this tomorrow with the prime minister and with the field marshal—the steps that are being taken to lay the groundwork for free and fair elections, and the need for those elections to be meaningful, to be based on a strong foundation that will be stable enough and strong enough to move into the future to hold parliamentary and presidential elections, to get results that will give you leaders that will be able to respond to the aspirations.

I am particularly pleased that the minister and I discussed in great detail with others who were there the economic needs, the need to rebuild a police force that will have the trust of the people. And I applaud the announcement today of the dismantling of the existing state security apparatus and the rebuilding of one that will be responsive to the needs of Egyptians.

We also focused on small and medium-sized enterprises because 99 percent of the jobs in Egypt are in small and medium-sized businesses. And I brought with me the head of our Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Elizabeth Littlefield, to discuss the ways that we could support this effort. And we want to see a very specific commitment by OPIC and by U.S. Export-Import Bank to provide letters of credit, to encourage private sector investments, because the long-term economic growth of Egypt depends not on govern ment jobs but on private sector jobs. So the more foreign direct investment that we can help to encourage and support, we think will be beneficial for Egyptian people.

We've committed $90 million for near-term immediate economic assistance. At my request, we've had legislation introduced in the Senate of the United States by Senator Kerry and Senator McCain to establish an Egypt-American enterprise fund similar to what the United States did for Central and Eastern Europe. And we will closely coordinate with our Egyptian counterparts because we want to be responsive to the needs that you have.

In early January before the protests began, I warned at a conference in Doha that the region's foundations were sinking into the sand. But today, because of the Egyptian people, Egypt is rising. Egypt, Umm al-Dunya, mother of the world, is now giving birth to democracy. Congratulations.

Q. I just wanted to follow up on Bahrain. And I understand that you spoke with the Saudi foreign minister just a little while ago. And I'm wondering exactly what you could tell us about that conversation. Presumably, you made the same kind of appeals for calm and restraint as you just did here. But what was his response? Are you at all disappointed that the Saudis, the UAE, and others are going in to Bahrain?

Secretary Clinton. Well, I'm not going to characterize their actions. Under their agreements among themselves in the Gulf, they have the right to ask for that assistance, and that's what the Government of Bahrain has done. But I said the very same thing to the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia that I just said now. I said that the security challenges cannot be a substitute for a political resolution. And as they are moving in to respond to the requests by the Government of Bahrain, they, along with everyone else, needs to be promoting the dialogue between the parties. And we have a senior State Department official there, Assistant Secretary Jeff Feltman, who is working with the parties as we speak, because we believe strongly that you can't solve this problem by just trying to bring security to bear; you have to have a political solution.