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U.S. Reaches Out to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

(AFP) Lachlan Carmichael - A once reluctant U.S. is reaching out to the Muslim Brotherhood in a nod to Egypt's new political reality, but concerns linger about the group's attitude toward minorities, women and the peace treaty with Israel. "It's clear that they (the Brotherhood) are now the only game in town," said Marina Ottaway, who heads the Middle East program in Washington for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Nathan Brown, a George Washington University professor, said the Brotherhood has "given just enough in terms of reassuring signals to slightly raise the comfort level with them in the U.S." But Brown noted there remains "a big foreign policy concern" about the Brotherhood's attitude to the peace treaty with Israel. "On that score, the Brotherhood has kind of given reassuring signals but at this point they're fairly general," he said, adding: "The Brotherhood, as an organization, is close to Hamas (in Gaza) and hostile to Israel." Shibley Telhami, a University of Maryland professor, said if Israel launches a military operation in Gaza like the one in December 2008, an Egypt under the Brotherhood's sway could take a "far more aggressive" stance toward Israel.
2012-01-09 00:00:00
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