US urges Middle East leadership over protests
Jane Cowan, Washington
Last Updated:
The US Ambassador to the United Nations has urged the governments of Libya and Bahrain to lead rather than wait to be pushed to meet the demands of pro-democracy protesters.
The American ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice stopped short of calling for regime change in either Libya or Bahrain.
"But what we're encouraging Bahrain and other governments in the region to do is to recognise that this is a yearning for change and reform that is not going to go away, that it needs to be respected and that they need to get ahead of it by leading rather than being pushed," she said.
Dr Rice rejected accusations the Obama administration's response to the wave of pro-democracy protests had been inconsistent.
She suggested outreach by high level officials from the US president downwards was now resulting in signs of restraint and constructive dialogue with opposition groups in Bahrain.
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