Lebanese Prime Minister designate Najib Mikati met on Thursday with a delegation from the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt, headed by the group's Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie. The delegation included MB Deputy Chairman Gomaa Amin and the MB's media spokesman and co-founder of the Freedom and Justice Party, Mohamed Saad el-Katatni. MB sources said the meeting with Mikati came during the delegation's visit to Beirut to offer condolences on the death of Sheikh Faisal Mawlawi, the former secretary general of the Jama'a al-Islamiya in Lebanon. The meeting was attended by Lebanese MP Imad al-Hout, who is the representative of the Jama'a al-Islamiya in Lebanon. Informed sources said the attendees at the meeting agreed that those seeking to tarnish the image of political Islam are part of the counter-revolution. Guidance Bureau Director Mohammed Osama, the highest executive authority within the MB group, said, "Badie and the Muslim Brotherhood delegation will return to Cairo on Friday after offering their condolences. "Mohamed al-Beltagy attended the funeral of Mawlawi on behalf of Badie a few days ago," he said. He went on to say, "This is the first time in the history of the group, that the supreme guide has traveled outside the country and met with officials abroad." Observers believe that the meeting may affect the group's desire to strengthen its links with groups close to Hezbollah, which had tense relations with Egypt during the reign of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Mikati is described as being close to Hezbollah. He was assigned in January to form the Lebanese government with the support of Hezbollah and its allies. However, according to Lebanese news reports, the whistleblower website WikiLeaks said that in 2007 Mikati described Hezbollah as a "tumor" that must be eradicated. Translated from the Arabic Edition
