Clinton: US pleased so far by new Egypt president

Wed Jun 27th 2012

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the Obama administration is pleased so far with commitments made by Egypt's president-elect, but will reserve judgment on his government until it is up and running.

Speaking to reporters in Finland on Wednesday, Clinton said the U.S. was pleased that the new leader has pledged to respect Egypt's international obligations, which Washington believes covers its 1979 peace treaty with Israel. She also said the Egyptian military, which is supposed to turn over power to the president on Saturday, deserved praise for "facilitating" a free, fair and credible election.

However, she said the U.S. would judge Egypt's new leadership on its actions and called for it to respect principles of democracy and pluralism.