Remarks Following Meeting With Tunisian President Marzouki
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Presidential Palace
Tunis, Tunisia
February 25, 2012
I
just had an excellent meeting with the president, the foreign minister,
and other officials of the Tunisian Government. And I think the message
is one that I particularly resonate to because the revolution here in
Tunisia has not only made a significant difference in the lives of
Tunisians, but it has also given hope to people everywhere.
The
political side of the revolution is going quite well. The elections were
done in a very impressive way. The assembly is now constituted. The
government is up and running. The challenge is how to ensure that the
economic development of Tunisia matches the political development. And I
would make just three points.
First, this is not an unusual
challenge. Anytime there is a revolution, there will be the need to
reconstitute the economic institutions as well as the political ones.
The era of cronyism and corruption is over. The new era of
entrepreneurship and opportunity is coming. How we hasten its arrival is
the very important question that we are working on with the Tunisian
Government.
Secondly, there is a need for both short-term relief
and a longer-term economic plan that will make the changes in Tunisia
that will open Tunisia to the world and bring opportunity here to your
country. I have pledged to the president that I will do whatever I can
on behalf of the United States Government to help in the short run to
deal with the immediate economic needs of the Tunisian people, and also
to support the longer-term changes that will make a real difference for
Tunisia.
And finally, I will reach out to other governments and
countries. I am a very strong champion for Tunisian democracy and what
has been accomplished here. And that includes ensuring that the economic
opportunities that the Tunisian people are seeking are made available.
So
both on behalf of the United States and in my capacity as Secretary of
State, working with colleagues from countries around the world, I will
do my best to provide the support that is needed in the short term. I
don’t want to over-promise. As you know, there’s a global economic
downturn affecting much of the world right now, but I am confident that
Tunisia has a way forward that will lead to success for this important
country at this point in your history. And I thank the president for the
very thorough briefing and discussion we had. I’m looking forward to
meeting now with the prime minister. But I mostly come with a very
specific and committed statement of support for both the political and
the economic reforms that are occurring here.
Thank you very much.
