Tweet
11 February 2011
Last updated at 13:42 ET
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
David Cameron: ''This is Egypt's moment of opportunity"
Egypt has a "precious moment of opportunity" to move towards "civilian and democratic rule" in Egypt, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
His comments follow the resignation of Hosni Mubarak as Egypt's president on the 18th day of protests demanding the end of his 30-year rule.
Mr Cameron said the UK is a friend of Egypt that stands ready to "help in any way that we can".
Labour leader Ed Miliband said the protesters had "won a famous victory".
Protesters responded to news of the resignation by cheering, waving flags and sounding car horns.
Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, Mr Cameron said the new government should start to put in place "the building blocks of a truly open, free and democratic society".
Mr Cameron said: "What has happened today should only be the first step.
"Those who now run Egypt have a duty to reflect the wishes of the Egyptian people and, in particular, there really must be a move to civilian and democratic rule as part of this important transition to an open, democratic and free Egypt."
These sentiments were echoed by Mr Miliband.
He offered his congratulations before adding: "Now the task must be to create that democratic future that people have today won."
In London, Amr El-Bayoumi, 45, an Egyptian international lawyer, said he was "elated" to hear of Mr Mubarak's resignation.
He said: "My head is raised high because of my fellow Egyptians who have proved the power of the people in fighting for their rights and bringing down a brutal dictator who has been supported for decades by the US.
"We have seen a shining example for the world to see true democracy and true power to the people."
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
However, Mr El-Bayoumi, who recently returned from two weeks of protests in Cairo and planned to fly back to his native country on Saturday, added that Egyptians have "so much work to do to rebuild the country".
"Obviously, we need to see who will take power. We have a lot of work to do to get our society back from this ugly corruption and ugly brutality."
Ahmed El-Mokadem, founder and patron of the British Egyptian Society, said he was "delighted" that Mr Mubarak has resigned.
He said the Egyptian people had "lost confidence" during Mr Mubarak's tenure as president, which had halted the country's development.
Mr El-Mokadem said: "This is good not only for Egypt, the Middle East and democracy but also for the West. The West should not be worried at all because a developed Egypt that is not corrupt will only have one ally and that will be the West."
Mr El-Mokadem said his only fear was that the army could take control.
However, he added that this was only a "slight concern" because the army had been involved "from the bottom up" by helping protesters to force the president to step down.
Missing Briton Earlier, the UK Foreign Office has said it is "deeply concerned" about a Briton missing in Egypt.
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said Hisham Morsi was last seen being removed from Tahrir Square on 31 January but it is unclear by whom and authorities have been asked whether they are holding him.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Hisham Morsi is the only British national that we are aware of who is missing at the moment."
Mr Morsi, who is of dual British and Egyptian nationality, is understood to be aged about 50 and based outside the UK, "probably in Cairo".
Powered By WizardRSS
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.David Cameron: ''This is Egypt's moment of opportunity"
Egypt has a "precious moment of opportunity" to move towards "civilian and democratic rule" in Egypt, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
His comments follow the resignation of Hosni Mubarak as Egypt's president on the 18th day of protests demanding the end of his 30-year rule.
Mr Cameron said the UK is a friend of Egypt that stands ready to "help in any way that we can".
Labour leader Ed Miliband said the protesters had "won a famous victory".
Protesters responded to news of the resignation by cheering, waving flags and sounding car horns.
Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, Mr Cameron said the new government should start to put in place "the building blocks of a truly open, free and democratic society".
Mr Cameron said: "What has happened today should only be the first step.
"Those who now run Egypt have a duty to reflect the wishes of the Egyptian people and, in particular, there really must be a move to civilian and democratic rule as part of this important transition to an open, democratic and free Egypt."
These sentiments were echoed by Mr Miliband.
He offered his congratulations before adding: "Now the task must be to create that democratic future that people have today won."
In London, Amr El-Bayoumi, 45, an Egyptian international lawyer, said he was "elated" to hear of Mr Mubarak's resignation.
He said: "My head is raised high because of my fellow Egyptians who have proved the power of the people in fighting for their rights and bringing down a brutal dictator who has been supported for decades by the US.
"We have seen a shining example for the world to see true democracy and true power to the people."
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
This is good not only for Egypt, the Middle East and democracy but also for the West.”
End Quote
Ahmed El-Mokadem
British Egyptian Society
However, Mr El-Bayoumi, who recently returned from two weeks of protests in Cairo and planned to fly back to his native country on Saturday, added that Egyptians have "so much work to do to rebuild the country".
"Obviously, we need to see who will take power. We have a lot of work to do to get our society back from this ugly corruption and ugly brutality."
Ahmed El-Mokadem, founder and patron of the British Egyptian Society, said he was "delighted" that Mr Mubarak has resigned.
He said the Egyptian people had "lost confidence" during Mr Mubarak's tenure as president, which had halted the country's development.
Mr El-Mokadem said: "This is good not only for Egypt, the Middle East and democracy but also for the West. The West should not be worried at all because a developed Egypt that is not corrupt will only have one ally and that will be the West."
Mr El-Mokadem said his only fear was that the army could take control.
However, he added that this was only a "slight concern" because the army had been involved "from the bottom up" by helping protesters to force the president to step down.
Missing Briton Earlier, the UK Foreign Office has said it is "deeply concerned" about a Briton missing in Egypt.
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said Hisham Morsi was last seen being removed from Tahrir Square on 31 January but it is unclear by whom and authorities have been asked whether they are holding him.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Hisham Morsi is the only British national that we are aware of who is missing at the moment."
Mr Morsi, who is of dual British and Egyptian nationality, is understood to be aged about 50 and based outside the UK, "probably in Cairo".
Powered By WizardRSS