U.S. sees a role for Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
But the Muslim Brotherhood must renounce violence and support democracy, the White House says.
Paul Richter and Peter Nicholas
Los Angeles Times
1/31/2011
The Obama administration said for the first time that it supports a role for groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned Islamist organization, in a reformed Egyptian government.
The organization must reject violence and recognize democratic goals if the U.S. is to be comfortable with it taking part in the government, the White House said. But by even setting conditions for the involvement of such nonsecular groups, the administration took a surprise step in the midst of the crisis that has enveloped Egypt for the last week.
The statement was an acknowledgment that any popularly accepted new government will probably include groups that are not considered friendly to U.S. interests, and was a signal that the White House is prepared for that probability after 30 years of reliable relations with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Monday’s statement was a “pretty clear sign that the U.S. isn’t going to advocate a narrow form of pluralism, but a broad one,” said Robert Malley, a Mideast peace negotiator in the Clinton administration. U.S. officials have previously pressed for broader participation in Egypt’s government.
The George W. Bush administration pushed Mubarak for democratic reforms, but a statement in 2005 by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not specifically address a role for Islamists…
The article contines at the Los Angeles Times.
H/T therightscoop where there’s much more:
…Walid Shoebat said in his interview yesterday regarding the false notion that Muslim Brotherhood is a peaceful group that seeks to help the poor:
Does a leopard change it’s spots? It’s very clear that the logo of the Muslim Brotherhood is [Arabic]… That’s on the logo, which means Islam is the solution – Islam to return to Sharia law, instituting Sharia law. Is the Muslim Brotherhood willing to denounce Sharia law? Hardly. They never did. They never will.
So basically, Obama is supporting Sharia law in Egypt if he supports the Muslim Brotherhood. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time. And if you want to argue with me that he said they must reject violence if the US is to be comfortable with them, then you must accept that he is very naive and stupid regarding this group. But I don’t believe someone at his level could be that stupid. He knows what they are and he knows what they are about…
We urge you to follow the link and watch Michael Medved’s interview with Walid Shoebat.
Update: Is Obama’s new Egypt “envoy” too close to Mubarak?
…”Frank Wisner is in Cairo. The U.S. government did ask him to go,” White House spokesmanTommy Vietor confirmed to The Cable. “As someone with deep experience in the region, he is meeting with a Egyptian officials and providing his assessment.”…
…”He’s the exact wrong person to send. He is an apologist for Mubarak,” said one Washington Middle East hand who saw Wisner as unlikely to demand that Mubarak must step down or else suffer consequences from Washington — or, failing that, deliver a strong rebuke.
But Dunne said that since Wisner is “trusted and liked” by Mubarak and others he’ll be meeting with, he’s the perfect pseudo-envoy. “He’s … someone who could deliver a tough message if he’s given one to deliver,” she said.
Wisner’s father, Frank Wisner Sr., was the CIA agent portrayed in the film The Good Shepherd. Wisner was previously married to Christine de Ganay, former wife of Pal Sarkozy, the father of French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
H/T HotAir.com
