Washington - With news reporting hundreds of thousands protesting in Tahrir Square in Cairo today, US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement:

"The Egyptian people have made their voices heard. For 30 years, they have lived under Mubarak's autocratic rule, and they are frustrated by economic inequities and the lack of political progress. With hundreds of thousands protesting in Cairo, President Mubarak can write his place in history by recognizing that the demand for democratic reform has the broad support of Egyptian society and standing with the Egyptian people. He should step aside and endorse the creation of an interim government that does not include himself or his family, but which does include all segments of society and, most importantly, that ensures equality and opportunity for all Egyptians to participate in national elections. An orderly transition to democracy is in the interest of the Egyptian people and the United States must stand ready to assist in this process."

Last week, Menendez introduced a resolution in the Senate, adopted yesterday by unanimous consent, condemning the New Year's Day attack on Egypt's Coptic Christian community. This attack underscored the need for religious freedom and equality of treatment for all Egyptians. Click here for a PDF of the resolution: http://menendez.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Coptic Church Res - Final1.pdf