Chairman of the US Senate foreign relations committee John Kerry on Monday said the US is not wary of the Muslim Brotherhood's power ascent in Egypt. “It's up to the Egyptians to determine their decision in the next election,” Kerry said while speaking to a group of university students in Egypt. Kerry noted the Brotherhood represents a wide variety of people while claiming democracy is tantamount to diversity. The majority of Egyptians seek stability and refuse intolerance, he added. “Egypt has the chance for choice. There wouldn't be problem, if the Muslim Brotherhood was represented in the government. But what's important is not to allow any hiding for truths.” When questioned over US historical support for authoritarian regimes, the senator responded, “We want to help the people not the president.” The US, according to Kerry, supported erstwhile President Hosni Mubarak because he positively contributed to regional stability. “He was very useful to us on many issues like peace and relations within the region," Kerry said. "It wasn't easy to say suddenly: it's enough, leave.” “I agree with you that the United States and the whole world supported dictators. We had to deal with them. In China, for example, the United Sates cooperated with Mao Tse-Tung, despite refusing his policies. But we did it to reduce tension.” Kerry admitted that US foreign policy demands the preservation of the country's interests, including access to oil.
