Sunday Times 2
Hilary Clinton not offended by ‘Monica’ chants in Egypt
It was the kind of welcome that would put most people off.But Hillary Clinton has revealed that she actually welcomed being taunted about her husband’s affair whilst on a visit to Egypt.
Protestors in Egypt fear that America is over-exerting its influence and meddling in the country's affairs
The US Secretary of State said that the cheers of ‘Monica, Monica!’ were a sign that democracy was alive and well in the Arab country.
Her only regret was that the protestors had wasted good tomatoes by throwing them at her motorcade.
The chants were a reference to the relationship between Mrs Clinton’s husband Bill and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky which almost cost him the presidency in 1998.
Mrs Clinton was subjected to them whilst visiting the Egyptian port city of Alexandria to reopen the US Consulate.
Asked about the incident she said yesterday: ‘I was relieved that nobody was hurt and I felt bad that good tomatoes were wasted but other than that, it was not particularly bothersome.’She added that the abuse was ‘a sign of that freer environment that Egypt now enjoys. It is also evidence that the Egyptian people are still concerned about the future.’
Mrs Clinton said: ‘The sooner that there can be a government that takes responsibility, whose actions can be judged and held accountable, then people will be able to draw decisions because words don’t mean as much as actions and therefore I was not offended’.
Nobody was injured as the vegetables, shoes and a bottle of water rained down from the sky, although a tomato did hit an Egyptian official in the face.
Protesters could also be heard chanting ‘Irhal, Clinton’, which means ‘Get out, Clinton’.
At one point a man was seen putting the sole of his shoe over a photograph of Mrs Clinton’s face on a poster, a sign of disrespect in Egypt.The country is currently gripped by political uncertainty as two major forces, the military and the Muslim Brotherhood, engage in a power struggle over the future of a country that remains without a permanent constitution, parliament or government following the ousting of dictator Hosni Mubarak last year.Egyptians fear that America is meddling in its affairs, but in a speech to open the consulate Mrs Clinton said that the US ‘is is not in the business of choosing winners and losers’.
© Daily Mail, London
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