President Nasheed urges West 'not to fear, but to support' democratic forces in Muslim countries

Egypt's vice president Omar Suleiman announced on Friday evening that President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down from office, and his powers would be taken over by the army council.

In a statement, the leader of the smallest Muslim nation in Asia called on the international community “not to fear, but to support, the forces of democracy in Muslim countries.”

“The right not to be tortured, the freedom to speak your mind, the ability to choose your own government… these liberties are not the preserve of Western nations but universal values to which everyone aspires,” Mr Nasheed said.

The “wave of democratic change sweeping across the Arab world,” President Nasheed hoped, would serve as a wake-up call to governments that abuse their citizens’ fundamental human rights.

He also calls for “swift democratic reforms” in Egypt, including the lifting of the State of Emergency and granting of fundamental political freedoms, culminating in free and fair, multi-party elections.

There was no immediate reaction from Sri Lanka or other regional countries over the people’s uprising that led to the overthrow of the Mubarak regime.