US President Barack Obama has urged governments in the Middle East to respond peacefully to peaceful protests in the wake of the anti-government rallies in Egypt that brought down former President Hosni Mubarak.
Addressing a news conference to address ramifications for the Middle East following what happened in Egypt and Tunisia, he also criticized Iran’s government for its crackdown on opposition protesters.
He said people must be allowed to voice their grievances.
The president turned to Iran where the government broke up an opposition rally on Feb 14.
“I find it ironic that you’ve got the Iranian regime pretending to celebrate what happened in Egypt, when in fact, they have acted in direct contrast to what happened in Egypt by gunning down and beating people who were trying to express themselves peacefully,” said Obama.
Real change in societies he said “is not going to happen because of terrorism… or killing innocents,” but by people coming together and applying moral force.
He said the US is concerned about stability in the region.
On Iran, Obama said he was clear after mass demonstrations following Iran’s elections in 2009, and is clear now, that people should be able to express grievances and seek a more responsive government.
“The message that we have sent, even before the demonstrations in Egypt, has been to friend and foe alike, that the world is changing, that you have a young, vibrant generation within the Middle East, that is looking for greater opportunity and that if you are governing these countries, you have got to get out ahead of change, you can’t be behind the curve,” Obama added.
