CAIRO: U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron arrived unannounced in Cairo on Monday to urge the transition to democracy. It is the first visit to Egypt by a western leader since the fall of 30-year president Hosni Mubarak. “It's a great opportunity for us to go and talk to those running Egypt to make sure this really is a genuine transition from military to civilian rule,” Cameron told reporters on the plane to Cairo. “This is not an Islamist revolution, it's people who want to have the same basic freedoms we take for granted in the U.K.” Cameron intends to use the visit to stress his view that Middle East governments must listen to their people and respond to demands for political and economic freedom. Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt on Friday, February 11, following eighteen days of demonstrations across the country calling for his resignation and that of his government. Mubarak left the Supreme Military Council in charge of the country when he stepped down, and thus far the military has attempted to reassure Egyptians and the world that it is committed to fostering the transition toward democracy in the Arab world's most populous country. Cameron is set to meet with Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Military Council, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, and opposition figures on Monday. BM
