Region and through the moral force of nonviolence, the people of the region have achieved more change in six months than terrorists have accomplished in decad decades. of course, change of this magnitude does not come easily. in our day and age, a time of 24-hour news cycles and constant communication, people expect the transformation of the region to be resolved in a matter of weeks. but it will be years before this story reaches its end. along the way there will be good days and there will be bad days. in some places change will be swift. in others, gradual. and as we ve already seen, calls for change may give way in some cases to fierce contests for power. the question before us is what
Principles, principles that have guided our response to events over the past six months. the united states opposes the use of violence and repression against the people of the reg n region. the united states supports a set of universal rights, and these rights include free speech, the freedom of peaceful assembly, the freedom of religion, a quality for men and women under the rule of law, and the right to choose your own leaders. whether you live in baghdad or damascus, sanaa or tehran, and we support political and economic reform in the middle east and north africa that can meet the legitimate aspirations of ordinary people throughout the region. our support for these principles is not a secondary interest.
This administration on business leaders to help out with some of these countries, egypt and tunisia in particular to help them with economic programs and job programs, et cetera. you have think tanks, of course, those talking heads that we talk to. but they often know quite a lot. then you have nongovernmental organizations. they are important, too, because many of them deal with the type we call it civil society, helping people learn how to vote, to hold elections properly and all of that, remember, in this region, some places it was more developed than others. let s say egypt, for example. but when you get to places like yemen or libya, libya s a great example of no structure, no civil society. nothing beneath that leader moammar gadhafi. so the room is filled with a lot of people who are going to be listening very carefully because they probably will have a role to play in this. jill, i understand secretary clinton is going to be playing a role as well, she s going to be
It is a choice that must be made by leaders and by the people, and it is a choice that will define the future of a region that served as the cradle of civilization and a crucible of strife. for all of the challenges that lie ahead we see many reasons to be hopeful. in egypt we see it in the efforts of young people who led protests, in syria we see it in the courage of those who brave bullets while chanting peaceful. peaceful. in benbenghazi, a city threaten with destruction, we see in the courthouse square where people gathered to celebrate the freedoms that they had never known. across the region those rights that we take for granted are being claimed with joy by those who are prying loose the grip of an iron fist.
Disagree with them. we look forward to working with all who embrace genuine and inclusive democracy. what we will oppose is an attempt by any group to restrict the rights of others and to hold power through coercion and not consent. because democracy depends not only on elections, but also strong and accountable institutions, and the respect for the rights of minorities. such tolerance is particularly important when it comes to religion. in tahrir square, we heard egyptians from all walks of life chant muslims, christians, we are one. america will work to see that this spirit prevails, that all faiths are respected, and that bridges are built among them. in a region that was the