 Washington — 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.
| What could possibly go wrong? |
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.
| And after all, the Muslim Brotherhood is famous for their tolerance and democratic ways... |
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.
| It's not a surprise if you know Bambi... |
The statement was an acknowledgment that any popularly accepted new government will probably include groups that are not considered friendly to U.S. interests,
| The Egyptian people appear to 'support' the Brotherhood because they were the only opposition group that was even semi-tolerated. No other group has any traction, and few had any right to exist at all. Give the Egyptian people some time and space to organize after Hosni is gone before one concludes that one must accept the Brotherhood in the government. |
and was a signal that the White House is prepared for that probability after 30 years of reliable relations with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
| It's one thing to prepare, another to acquiesce... |
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.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that a reformed government "has to include a whole host of important nonsecular actors that give Egypt a strong chance to continue to be [a] stable and reliable partner."
Gibbs said the U.S. government has had no contact with the Muslim Brotherhood because of questions over its commitment to the rule of law, democracy and nonviolence. But the group is not listed on U.S. terrorism lists, as the militant Hamas and Hezbollah organizations are.
Gibbs' remarks came after a White House meeting at which administration officials briefed outside Middle East experts, leaving some of the participants with the impression that the administration was not counting on the 82-year-old Mubarak remaining in power.
U.S. conservatives such as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich have warned about its rise, and many draw comparisons to the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. But others say fears of the Brotherhood, which has been suppressed for decades by the Egyptian government, are overstated.
| A big chunk of the article then devotes itself to reciting the virtues of the Muslim Brotherhood. They run orphanages. They provide social services. They are of the middle class. They look after the poor. Oh, they're also just a touch out of sync with modern Western society in their treatment of Christians and wimmin, but don't let that bother you as you consider their goodness. |
Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who has become the leading symbol of the effort to oust Mubarak, has said the group poses no threat. The Muslim Brotherhood on Sunday announced its support for ElBaradei as a transitional president if Mubarak was toppled.
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