CAIRO - The United States and Egypt hinted on Tuesday that their old alliance will endure as the Egyptian people embark on a democratic transition after overthrowing an authoritarian leader.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the highest US official to visit Cairo since president Hosni Mubarak was toppled last month, pledged that the United States would stand by Egyptians as they pursue vast change.
"This moment in history belongs to you," she told a press conference with her Egyptian counterpart, Nabil al-Arabi, at the old foreign ministry building hard by Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the protests that ousted Mubarak.
"You broke barriers and overcame obstacles to pursue the dream of democracy, and the United States and President (Barack) Obama and I will stand with you as you make this journey," she said.
"Egypt and the United States have many strategic interests in common. A democratic Egypt will continue to have strategic interests in common with the United States," she said.
After helping to ease Mubarak out of three decades in power, the United States is trying to keep Egypt as a major ally and ensure it preserves its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, the cornerstone of US diplomacy in the region.
The two countries also work closely on counter-terrorism.
Referring to a question on US-Egyptian ties, Arabi, who was named after Mubarak's overthrow, said: "It's moving ahead strongly. All the points made by the secretary of state are extremely encouraging."
Hillary Mann Leverett, who worked in former president George W. Bush's National Security Council, told MSNBC last month that Cairo would probably start steering a more independent course from Washington.
"The likely outcome of Egypt is a government that is more independent in foreign policy and will not support US and Israeli policies regarding Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, everything on the US agenda," Leverett said.
Clinton later met members of civil society that played such a vital role in the pro-democracy protests, and echoed remarks she made during the press conference.
"Political reform must be matched by economic reform," said Clinton, who also promised more economic assistance to Egypt, some of it to promote small and medium-sized businesses.
"The long-term economic growth of Egypt depends not on government jobs but on private-sector jobs," she told the press conference.
Clinton applauded the move by Interior Minister Mansur al-Issawi who disbanded the long-feared security police on Tuesday in a reform that had long been called for by pro-democracy activists.
Issawi, who took office 10 days ago on a pledge to restore public confidence in the police, announced a replacement security arm, to be called National Security, that will be restricted to "guarding the domestic front and battling terrorism."
Clinton's talks in Cairo come at a sensitive time in the transition.
Egyptians are due to vote on Saturday on a series of amendments to the constitution that are intended to pave the way for a swift return to civilian rule but which critics say have been rushed through and do not go far enough.
Young militants who spearheaded Egypt's pro-democracy revolution called on Monday for a "no" vote in the referendum.
Two would-be presidential candidates - Arab League secretary general Amr Mussa and former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei --have also called for the vote to be postponed or scrapped.
Only the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, which was suppressed under Mubarak, and elements of his former ruling National Democratic Party have called for a "yes" vote.
The judicial commission overseeing the referendum warned on Tuesday that a "no" vote would force the military to impose the arrangements for the transition by decree.
"If (the amendments) are rejected, we will face a legislative void, which will be filled by a decree of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces," commission chairman Mohammed Atteya said. Arabi said he hoped the referendum would be "exemplary."
