CIA Bars Obama from Supporting Excluding Brotherhood from Egypt’s Political Process
Local Editor(FNA) – The US intelligence agency (CIA) has called on President Barack Obama to avoid support for a full exclusion of the Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim Brotherhood) party from the political process in Egypt, warning that the Egyptian army’s growing power would be detrimental to the US interests and and Israel.
“In a report to Obama, the CIA has declared that the complete exclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood from the democratic process in Egypt would not serve the US interests in the Middle-East region and the Persian Gulf”, a source close to the US spy agency who called for anonymity told FNA on Saturday.
“Meantime, the report has also reiterated that Brotherhood’s full authority and ruling in Egypt would not at all serve Washington’s interests either, and recommended that the US should try to help to the empowerment of a coalition government to be formed by different groups, including the Brotherhood, to confine the Egyptian army’s role in the political developments in the country, warning that in case of the army’s increasing empowerment, tensions will likely arise between Egypt and Israel in the future”, the source said.
Egypt has been gripped by political turmoil since the army overthrew former President and Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Mursi on 3 July following massive street protests against his divisive one-year rule. Hundreds have been killed in deadly political violence since then.
The US has decided to halt some military and economic aids to the army-backed government, a move which was blasted by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry earlier this month.
“The decision was wrong. Egypt will not surrender to American pressure and is continuing its path towards democracy as set by the roadmap”, Reuters quoted the ministry’s spokesman Badr Abdelatty as saying.
