Clinton urges Arab leaders to move faster on reform

8220;All the signs of progress we have seen in recent months will only be meaningful if more leaders in more places move faster and further to embrace this spirit of reform,8221; she said.

Before an audience that included representatives of more than 30 Muslim nations,the top US diplomat said in the wake of historic unrest in the region that 8220;for the first time in decades there is a real opportunity for change.8221;

Arab youth,she added,will no longer 8220;accept the status quo8221; and 8220;know a better life is within reach 8211; and they are willing to reach for it.8221;

Officials from Muslim majority nations including Jordan,Turkey,Indonesia,Pakistan and Afghanistan are in Washington for the annual meeting,which aims to build greater understanding between the United States and Muslim countries.

In its eighth year,the forum is being held at a time of unprecedented change in the Arab world,with uprisings against autocratic leaders across the Middle East and North Africa,officials said.

8220;There is no reason why this region cannot be among the most prosperous in the world,8221; Clinton told the forum.

8220;Despite the best efforts of the censors,8221; she added,Arab youth 8220;are connecting to the wider world in ways their parents and grandparents could never imagine. They see alternatives.8221;

Leaders in the region 8212; rattled by the dramatic departures of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia after mass protests calling for regime change 8212; could get ahead of the calls for reform 8220;if they work with their people to answer the region8217;s most pressing challenges,8221; Clinton said.

Among the challenges are how to diversify their economies,open up political systems,clamp down on corruption,and respect human rights of women and minorities,she said.

A poll released by the University of Maryland and the Brookings Institution think tank found that a majority of Americans,57 per cent,are supportive of the uprisings seen across the Arab world,8221;even if they lead to regimes more apt to oppose US policies,8221; noted the forum organisers.

Noting that the US is committed to stand with the people of Egypt,Tunisia and the region to help build sustainable democracies that will deliver real results for people who deserve them,Clinton said history has shown that democracies do tend to be more stable,more peaceful,and ultimately,more prosperous.

The US has specific relationships with countries in the region,she said.

8220;We have a decades-long friendship with Bahrain that we expect to continue long into the future. But we have made clear that security alone cannot resolve the challenges facing them. Violence is not and cannot be the answer. A political

process is 8212; one that advances the rights and aspirations of all the citizens of Bahrain. And we have raised our concerns publicly and directly with Bahraini officials and we will continue to do so,8221; she said.

8220;The United States also strongly supports the people of Yemen in their quest for greater opportunity,their pursuit of political and economic reform that will meet their aspirations. President Saleh needs to resolve the political impasse with the opposition so that meaningful political change can take place in the near term in an orderly,peaceful manner,8221; Clinton asserted.

Similarly the US strongly condemns the violence committed against peaceful protesters by the Syrian Government over the past few weeks.

8220;President Asad and the Syrian Government must respect the rights of the Syrian people,who are demanding the freedoms that they have long been denied,8221; she said.

8220;Going forward,the United States will be guided by careful consideration of all the circumstances on the ground and by our consistent values and interests,but also by something else: We believe in this region. We see no reason that it cannot be among the most progressive,prosperous,peaceful,successful regions in the world. When we look at other regions in the world that have undergone change 8212; sometimes violent,sometimes difficult 8212; we see no reason why this region cannot succeed,8221; Clinton said.