Albright: Egypt’s Future Lies in Unified Opposition

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright saidon Sunday  that whether Egypt deteriorates into complete chaos, if President Hosni Mubarak resigned immediately, depends on whether a fractured opposition can find common ground.

“I think we all agree that this in an incredibly complicated and delicate situation, and changing very, very rapidly,” Albright told CNN’s “State of the Union” host Candy Crowley. “I think the opposition groups in Egypt are very interesting; they are not monolithic. They have some tactical differences in them, there some personalities involved. They are also trying to figure out how to operate together.”

Adding to the opposition groups’ communication difficulties, Albright said, “is a desire, I believe, among some within the government to split the opposition,” adding the United States cannot “micromanage the process.”

“It does have to be a rapid process that represents the will of the Egyptian people. What we are going to have to do is to be really good analysts to see what is going on the street,” she continued. “The question [also] is what the army will do.”

Albright noted that part of what triggered the Egyptian turmoil was past “completely fraudulent parliamentary elections,” and the United States is looking for a reliable mechanism for the leadership transition, as to “not have extremists take advantage of a chaotic situation.”

“What we have to do is make clear that the process itself is important and arriving at a democratic solution is important,” she noted. “In my opinion the Mubarak era is over; there is never an indispensable leader.

“It is difficult when everyone has told you how wonderful you are and that your time is up,” she said.