US will continue talks with Brotherhood but does not support one group or candidate
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US will continue talks with Brotherhood but does not support one group or candidate (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The limited talks the US started with the Muslim Brotherhood in 2006 will continue, said Mark Toner, spokesperson for the US Department of State, on Friday.
Toner told the press that the US wants to get a clear picture of the political scene in Egypt, and US embassy officials in Egypt are allowed to speak to Brotherhood members.
The Brotherhood is still developing and it is most important that it shows a commitment to democratic principles, he said, citing statements made by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
Toner said that the US is communicating, though intermittently, with the Brotherhood, and will continue to in order to understand Egyptian politics in the current absence of a parliament. Egypt “is going through a process of democratic transformation, which requires us to communicate with all parties to this process, including the Brotherhood.”
In an interview with Al-Hayat TV, Assistant Secretary of State William Burns said the US will not try to impose a particular orientation on Egyptian political life or interfere in its political decision making process, emphasizing that Egyptians are capable of leading the process of democratic transformation.
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