World leaders welcome Mubarak’s resignation

PanARMENIAN.Net - World leaders hailed the toppling of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Mubarak resigned after three decades in power under pressure from the street. Protests calling for his departure brought the country to a halt over the past 18 days.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon described Egypt’s revolution as a “historic moment.” He reiterated the need for “a transparent, orderly and peaceful transition” of power and welcomed that “the voice of the Egyptian people has been heard.”

In Brussels, EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton offered the bloc’s assistance in securing democracy for the Egyptian people. “To those who are now charged of being the guardians of transitional period, we have high expectations that they will deliver for the people,” Ashton told reporters. “The European Union will be there to offer its support. We have a lot of history, a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience in building democracy and we offer that to the people of Egypt.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said President Mubarak has done his people “one last favor” in stepping down. Merkel also said she expected Egypt’s future government “to continue to keep the peace in the Middle East, in that the agreements made with Israel are respected and Israel’s security is guaranteed,” Euronews reported.