US in contact with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood: Clinton

BUDAPEST (AFP) - The United States has been in "limited contacts" with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt following the recent political changes in the country, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday.

"The Obama administration is continuing the approach of limited contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood that have existed on and off for about five or six years," she told journalists on a visit to Budapest.

"We believe that given the change of the political landscape in Egypt, it is in the interest of the United States to engage with all parties that are peaceful and committed to non-violence," she said.

"This is not a new policy but it is one that we're re-engaging in," she went on.

On Wednesday, senior US official William Burns had called for an "open and inclusive" process in Egypt, even as fresh clashes in Cairo signalled mounting frustration with the military rulers over the pace of reform.

Many have called for a postponement of the general elections, set to take place in September, in order to avoid a sweep by the Muslim Brotherhood, which could benefit from the lack of preparation from other parties.

The United States had insisted as recently as February that it was not in contact with the Islamist group, with Clinton warning against any one party or ideology hijacking the democratic transition in Egypt.

On Thursday, she insisted that: "In any of those contacts, prior or future, we will continue to emphasise the importance and support for democratic principles."

The West has kept a watchful eye on the Brotherhood, which was long banned under Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, fearing it might install an Islamic regime following his ousting.

The Brotherhood told AFP on Thursday it was open to contacts with the United States as long as its "values are respected" but said there had been "no direct contacts" in the past.

"We are willing to meet in a context of respect. If the US is truly willing to respect our values and support freedom as it says it does, then we have no problem," spokesman Mahmud Ghozlan said following Clinton's statement.