Remarks at Roundtable With Civil Society Representatives

SECRETARY RICE: I'd love to hear – and we’ll go right back to Mr. Targamadze – let me just say one thing, if I may, which is that I'm really very pleased to have a chance to hear from all of you. I just said that democracy is absolutely necessary, not because human beings are perfect, but because they are imperfect. And because human beings are imperfect, no one has all the answers and that means there has to be room for many voices. Those many voices in a modern state need to have organized ways of expressing themselves. That can be through a free press. It can be through civil society. It can be through competitive elections and opposition. It can be through strong parliaments. And it all has to be protected by independent judicial institutions.