Minister says meeting addressed regional issues, not domestic ones CAIRO: Egypt accused the US of double standards towards outlawed groups, specifically the Palestinian Hamas, after an American congressional delegation met with the head of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) bloc in parliament Sunday. A US congressional delegation currently in Egypt held a meeting in parliament with a group that included Saad Al Katatny, the head of the MB bloc. Presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad told reporters, "The United States says that it doesn t establish relations with a banned group, whether in Egypt or outside Egypt. The US says it is meeting with the Brotherhood as Parliament members, but doesn t make the same distinction and refuses to talk with Hamas, [which] is heading the Palestinian government and is occupying the prime minister s seat. The US considers Hamas a terrorist group and refuses to deal with it until it renounces an ideological vow to destroy Israel. However, there are loose affiliations between Hamas and Egypt's MB. Al Katatny's comment on the meeting was that it revolved around regional issues and did not touch upon internal Egyptian politics, as reported by AP. "We met with the delegation for more than an hour and we discussed the American policy in the Middle East: Palestine, Iraq and Iran s nuclear issue, Al Katatny said. "The talks didn t address internal Egyptian issues or political reform. Former Washington political expert Atef Al Ghamry had previously told The Daily Star Egypt that American foreign policy vis-a-vis Arab nations tends to be disparate rather than uniform, which would explain US shutout of Hamas but not the MB. "We have noticed that the US approach towards Arab nations varies, Ghamry said, "This all depends on the current circumstances in the region with regards to US interests. Awad was adamant that Egypt would protect its interests, even from the United States, and volleyed a warning to its close ally. He said, "The US is free to do whatever it wants, but we will do whatever we want to protect Egyptian national security. Whoever thinks that Egypt s national security is less important than other countries , including the US , is very wrong, The delegation, touring the Middle East and set to visit Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, is headed by North Carolina Democrat David Price. It also includes Nebraska Republican Jeff Fortenberry, West Virginia Democrat Nick Rahall and Wisconsin Democrat Gwen Moore. This isn't the first time US officials seek out Al Katatny. Two months ago US House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer met Al Katatny twice, once in parliament and another time at the house of the US ambassador. At the time, US embassy spokesman John Berry declared that American government policy does not prohibit meetings with the banned group, and that meeting them did not signify a change in US policy towards them. However, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has refused meetings with the Brotherhood in the past, and this delegation was not sanctioned by the American administration.
