Remarks at Flag-Raising Ceremony
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Consulate
Alexandria, Egypt
July 15, 2012
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank
you very much. And let me begin by expressing appreciation for your
patience. We had excellent meetings in Cairo today, but they all ran
long. There was a lot to say, and we wanted everybody to be able to say
it. So I apologize for keeping you waiting.
I am delighted to be
here in Alexandria. As Anne just said, it is my first trip, although I
hope not my last. And it is much too short a trip. Ever since I was a
little girl, I have read about the history of this extraordinary city
and what it has contributed to not only Egypt but humanity. And I look
forward to watching the next chapters be written.
I want to
recognize our Ambassador, Anne Patterson, who came with me from Cairo. I
want to thank the Governor for being with us today. I’m very grateful
to you, Governor, for taking time out to share this occasion with us. I
want to also recognize Mrs. Gendi from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
as well as representatives of the diplomatic, governmental, business and
religious communities, as well as educational institutions. It’s also
good to have a number of those who work in this consulate and who will
be part of providing the services that it will offer to Egyptians and
Americans alike.
Some of you know that this day has been a long time coming. On September 30th
1993, the American flag at our consulate in Alexandria was lowered.
Although we would maintain a presence here, the consulate itself was
shut down. Luckily, someone had the foresight to hold on to the flag
that they lowered that day because they hoped, as we did, that this day
would come and a flag would once again fly in Alexandria. And today we
do that. By raising it once more, the American consulate is open for
business.
Now, as exciting as this day is, we know that there is a
lot of work ahead of us. On my visit to Egypt yesterday and today, I
told people I wanted to listen more than talk. I wanted to hear
firsthand the concerns, the issues, the aspirations that could be
represented to me both by officials as well as citizens. And what I have
heard is (inaudible) at what Egyptians have accomplished but also,
understandably, questions about the future. People want to know and are
vigorously debating this among themselves, as you know so well, what
this democratic transition occurring in Egypt will be like. Where will
it lead? Will it produce economic opportunity for those who have waited
so long, better education and healthcare services for those who need it
so much? And will it produce institutions, a constitution, a government
that protects the rights of all Egyptians? Now, Egyptians have to answer
all these questions for yourselves. We want to be a good partner. We
want to stand with you. But the revolution was yours, and so is this
transition, and so will be what the transition produces.
I have
come to Alexandria to reaffirm the strong support of the United States
for the Egyptian people and for your democratic future. Yesterday in
Cairo, I spoke about the immediate questions that you are facing. And
today, I want to take a few minutes to talk about the kind of democracy
you are trying to build. Now, I well understand – and I heard it today
from many different voices – that Egyptian media can be quite creative
in depicting my country. And I know some Egyptians have doubts about
where we stand. In fact, I’ve heard it argued over the last 18 months
that America spoke too loudly, and America spoke too softly; that
America spoke too early, and America spoke too late. And I’ve heard it
that we support one faction in Egypt’s politics and then only weeks
later, I hear that we are supporting another faction in Egypt’s
politics. And I want to be clear that the United States is not in the
business in Egypt of choosing winners and losers – even if we could,
which of course we cannot. We are prepared to work with you as you chart
your course, as you establish your democracy.
Now, we do have
some experience in democracy. We are the oldest democracy in the world.
India has the great honor of being the largest democracy in the world.
And we have learned a few lessons over that 236 years that we have been
practicing democracy. And we want to stand for principles, for values,
not for people or for parties but for what democracy means in our
understanding and experience.
The Egyptian people have every right
in this new democracy to look to their leaders to protect the rights of
all citizens, to govern in a fair and inclusive manner, and to respect
the results of elections. We often say that the first election is hard,
but the second election is more important because one election does not
make a democracy. There has to be a peaceful surrender of power. I have
won elections, and I have lost elections. And I remember back when I
started traveling as Secretary of State, the main question on people’s
minds was, “How could you work with President Obama? You ran against
him. You tried to beat him, but he beat you.” And so the answer is
simple. We both love our country, and we both want to serve our people.
So
when we talk about supporting democracy, we mean real democracy,
because around the world today there are people who claim to be
democrats, who oppress their people, who discriminate against some of
their citizens, who use the tools of government not to advance the
people’s interests but to enrich themselves.
So what we believe is
that the principles of democracy have to be enshrined not only in the
constitution, not only in the institutions of government, but in the
hearts and minds of the people. What does that mean in practice? Well,
to us, real democracy means that every citizen has the right to live,
work, and worship as they choose, whether they are man or woman, Muslim
or Christian, or from any other background. Real democracy means that no
group or faction or leader can impose their will, their ideology, their
religion, their desires on anyone else. Where there is healthy
competition, then there is the free exchange of ideas. And we believe
that as frustrating as debate and dialogue can sometimes be, that we are
(inaudible). None of us has a monopoly on the truth, and we will make
better decisions by listening to one another and by learning to
compromise.
We look for checks and balances, so no leader or no
institution gets too powerful. In my discussions with President Morsi
yesterday, I emphasized that we believe the success of his presidency –
indeed Egypt’s success – depends upon building consensus across the
Egyptian political spectrum and speaking to the needs and concerns of
all Egyptians – all faiths, all communities, men and women alike. That
will not only take dialogue and compromise; it will also take real
leadership and real political activity.
Earlier today, I met with
members of Egypt’s Christian community, with a number of women leaders
and advocates, and with young entrepreneurs who want to demonstrate that
Egyptian young people are just as innovative and successful as young
people anywhere. They have legitimate concerns, and I will be honest and
say some (inaudible) about their future. And I said to them, and what I
will repeat, no Egyptian, no persons anywhere, should be persecuted for
their faith or their lack of faith or their choices about working and
not working.
Democracy is not just about reflecting the will of
the majority; it is also about protecting the rights of the minority. We
had to learn that the hard way. When our Constitution was written, it
did not include women. It did not include African American slaves. It
did not include white men who did not own property. It was really a
Constitution for a very small number of people in our country at that
time. But we learned over the years how to expand the circle of
citizenship and opportunity. And we believe that that is now what will
be expected in the 21st century. And we look to Egypt and Egyptians from all areas, all walks of life, to support real democracy.
Now,
our engagement will be not only with the Egyptian Government, but it
will be, more importantly, the Egyptian people. That’s why this
consulate is so important, because we want to make it clear that we’re
not just in Cairo talking to officials. We are in the country talking to
people, helping in ways that are appropriate, working with different
groups, especially with civil society.
So here in Alexandria and
across Egypt, we are focused on helping Egyptians create jobs, grow the
economy, widen the circle of prosperity. We will deliver on the economic
package that President Obama announced to leave up to $1 billion that
Egypt gets to create U.S.-Egypt enterprise funds run by distinguished
Egyptian and American business leaders, to be looking for ways to
provide credit to small and medium-sized businesses that will be at the
heart of the Egyptian economic growth. That will be especially important
here in Alexandria, which you know so well is the economic engine of
Egypt, a town where 30 percent of the country is (inaudible) nearly 80
percent of shipping.
And we are supporting things like the
(inaudible) Center here in Alexandria, offering one-stop shopping for
businesses in order to cut through all the red tape and get going
faster, so that they can be in the marketplace. I will be sending a
high-level delegation of American businesses in early September to look
at trade and investment opportunities.
Now, our relationship is
not new by any means. Millions of Americans have come to this country,
and particularly to this city, to admire your heritage. We are proud to
have Egyptian Americans as part of our society. And over more than three
decades, the United States has helped more than 3 million Egyptian
entrepreneurs find access to financing, provided scholarships for nearly
200,000 women and girls, and helped millions of Egyptians get access to
clean water and sanitation. In fact, here in Alexandria we’ve invested
more than $700 million the last 15 years to improve basic services like
water and sanitation.
But this is a new (inaudible), a new
beginning for our partnership. And we are looking forward to defining it
with you. We understand Egypt’s challenges are real. But from our
perspective, we believe the talents of nearly 90 million Egyptians is
more than up to the job they have; and we will work with you. We will
support you. We will give you whatever equipment we can as you create an
Egyptian democracy. And then in 100 years or 200 years from now,
someone from Alexandria or Cairo or elsewhere in Egypt will be able to
talk about Egyptian democracy and what it has meant to the people of
Egypt in terms of new opportunities for themselves and for generations
of their children.
For thousands of years, Alexandria has been a
place where cultures and faiths live side by side. This city’s
lighthouse and library stood as beacons to travelers and scholars who
came from around the ancient world to discuss the great questions of
their day. It is only right that the United States should have a small
diplomatic presence here. And I thank the people of Alexandria for their
hospitality and for working with us to once again have a consulate that
is going to exemplify our relationship. I’m proud to join you in
opening this new chapter in a partnership between Egypt and the United
States.
Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
