US In Contact With Muslim Brotherhood

The Washington Times reports:

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that the Obama administration was pursuing an approach of “limited contacts” with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood — a policy, she said, that has “existed on and off for about five or six years.”

In a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Mrs. Clinton said that the upcoming elections in Egypt had given the U.S. a stake in engaging with the Islamist group, which had been banned under ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

“We believe, given the changing political landscape in Egypt, that it is in the interests of the United States to engage with all parties that are peaceful and committed to nonviolence that intend to compete for the parliament and the presidency, and we welcome, therefore, dialogue with those Muslim Brotherhood members who wish to talk with us,” Mrs. Clinton said.

She said while this was “not a new policy,” it was one the U.S. was “re-engaging in because of the upcoming elections.”

Parliamentary elections are scheduled for September, with a vote for president to follow in October or November. While the Muslim Brotherhood has pledged not to field a presidential candidate, it is expected to become a prominent player in parliament.

She emphasized that in such contacts, there would be “certain expectations set and certain messages delivered,” saying that the U.S. would urge the Brotherhood to respect the principles of nonviolence, minority rights and the “full inclusion of women” in the political process.