Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood welcomes US talks (AP)

CAIRO – Egypt's powerful Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, said Friday it is willing to hold talks with the United States, taking up an offer of dialogue seen as an implicit recognition by Washington that the group will likely hold significant political power in Egypt's post-Hosni Mubarak era.

The Brotherhood's bid for prominence comes at a time of growing discontent by pro-democracy protesters toward the military council that took power in Egypt after Mubarak's ouster in February.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters waving Egyptian flags and banners rallied Friday in Tahrir Square, demanding speedy trials for former regime figures and policemen accused of killing protesters during the 18-day revolt that claimed 846 lives.

The demonstration came after clashes broke out earlier this week between police and protesters pushing for faster reforms. More than 1,000 people were injured and more than 30 arrested in the melees.

The Brotherhood has largely stayed clear from the recent protests, denouncing most of them as unfocused and unnecessary.

Brotherhood spokesman Mohammed Ghozlan was responding to comments by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday that the Obama administration is reaching out to the fundamentalist group in a "limited" effort to build ties and promote democratic principles.

"We welcome dialogue with America to remove any misunderstandings and bridge gaps," Ghozlan told The Associated Press.

He said it would be the first time the Brotherhood holds talks with the United States. However, there were reports of indirect and informal contacts between Brotherhood and U.S. officials several years ago_ particularly when the group was represented in Egypt's former parliament.

Neither side gave any indication of when the talks would take place.

The Brotherhood was banned for decades and was heavily suppressed by Mubarak's regime, which was closely allied to the United States. But the ban was lifted after Mubarak's ouster, and the Brotherhood is campaigning hard for upcoming parliamentary elections.

Since it is the country's most organized political force, it is expected to make a strong showing and is very likely to be a member in the next government. Saying the U.S. seeks a real democracy in Egypt, President Barack Obama has acknowledged the Brotherhood should be allowed to operate freely in politics.

In her comments Thursday, Clinton said the outreach to the Brotherhood was part of a general desire in the administration to engage all Egyptian groups as long as they espouse nonviolence.

Ammar Ali Hassan, expert in Islamic groups, said that the Brotherhood will likely try to float "conditions" or "reservations" on any dialogue to avoid a perception that it is allowing the U.S. to meddle in Egypt's internal affairs. But in the end, the talks will give a boost the group, he said, by easing worries some in the Brotherhood and the public have of a backlash if the Brotherhood becomes the dominant player in Egypt.

"Now the Muslim Brotherhood will not have to worry of moving forward toward taking over power," Hassan said. "For decades, the United States has been eying this possibility and ready to open channels with whoever is the leading force in the country," he added.

The Brotherhood has taken a pragmatic stance in the country's new political situation, praising the military rulers and avoiding participation in new protests.

Protesters are calling for faster reforms from the ruling military council, led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, which has been accused of collaborating with remnants from the former regime.

"My feeling is that Mubarak has taken off his robe and given it to Tantawi. There is no difference between the two," 62-year-old Ismail al-Husseini said. "We get out of one trap to fall into the next one. Every Friday, we hold a protest but it's no use."

Riot police sealed off the street leading up to the Interior Ministry building, which has been the site of some of the fiercest fighting, with barricades and military police at checkpoints.

Several tents were set up in the middle of Tahrir Square — the epicenter of the 18-day uprising — with many protesters promising to continue their sit-in until their demands are met.

"We had a revolution that is now incomplete. We removed the head of the regime, but the regime is still here," said Yasser Gomaa, 39. He said protesters want to see those responsible for the death of protesters in public, speedy and fair trials.

As a sign of the security problems still facing Egypt's police, a group of armed men besieged a local police station in a low-income suburb east of Cairo, and freed more than 40 detainees, a security official said. Those freed were common criminals, including drug dealers.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the police, said those in the jail started in a fire inside their cell to distract the police, while the gunmen fired in the air to cause mayhem. The head of the police station was briefly held by the gunmen before the escape.

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Youth from Egypt's Brotherhood form separate party (AP)

CAIRO – Several young members from Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood have launched their own political party to rival their group's own_ a move that is exposing cracks in the influential Islamist organization.

Banned from politics for half a century, the Brotherhood nonetheless maintained an effective organization based on a network of social services, successfully running candidates as independents in past parliamentary elections.

Now that a popular revolution has deposed President Hosni Mubarak and removed restrictions, the Brotherhood was expected to jump in, use its organization and experience to gain votes and possibly even dominate a new parliament.

The movement faces new challenges. The openness in Egypt is taking its toll on the venerable Islamist group, with younger, more pragmatic activists chafing under the doctrinaire leadership of the old guard.

The Brotherhood's political party is called Freedom and Justice, required under the new regulations to admit women and Christians but guided by the group's Islamic ideology. The Brotherhood is worried enough to threaten to expel members who join competing parties and threw out a leading member who decided to run for president on his own.

Other Islamist groups have also announced plans to register new political parties_ including some from the ultraconservative Salafi brand of Islam, which was previously averse to participating in political life.

Attention is going to Brotherhood members who have broken away and formed their own parties, like Egyptian Trend.

"This is not a Brotherhood party or a party of the Brotherhood youth," said Islam Lotfy, a Brotherhood member and a founding member of the new party.

The Brotherhood leadership said the decision of Lotfy, and as many as 20 others from the group will be penalized, because their actions violate a ban on its members to join any other by the newly formed Freedom and Justice Party.

"They will be referred to internal investigation and will be expelled if they don't quit " the new party, said Mahmoud Hussein, Secretary general of the Brotherhood. "They will have different loyalty."

Lotfy sees no contradiction between being a member in the Brotherhood as an advocacy group and joining a new political party.

"I have set my priorities. Working with the (Egyptian Trend) party is a choice and a priority," he said.

Lotfy was active in a youth coalition that formed during the early days of revolution that began on Jan. 25 and forced Mubarak to step down 18 days later.

He said the new party wants to capture the experience he gained during those tumultuous days working with other political groups and activists who espouse different ideologies.

"We have an extended experience from working with the January 25 group toward specific goals. We were able to put our ideological differences aside," he said. "We want a new party that overcomes politics."

This is a veiled criticism of his original organization, which formally joined the protests days after they began. Younger members are growing critical of the decision making process in the Brotherhood, controlled by a senior leadership, which is extending its reach to its Freedom and Justice party.

Lotfy said his new party is not an "Islamic" party, but one that devises its own programs and priorities from the public, which he called the mainstream. Its members are from different ideological backgrounds, including leftists, and liberals who aim to drastically improve Egypt's social indicators and international standing by 2030.

"We believe that the audience we are targeting no one has reached out to yet," he said. "I have gained a lot of experience from the Brotherhood which is known for its great ability to organize.. I hope I can gain from that, and this would be reflected in our performance."

Brotherhood leaders say the party will run for only half of the parliament's seats in elections expected in September, and they are working to form coalitions with other parties, including liberals.

The Brotherhood's party still appears as the most formidable contender for the upcoming elections. Some liberal and secular parties are so concerned that they have called for delaying the election to allow more time for them to organize and campaign.

Another leading member of the Brotherhood had earlier announced his plans to run for the upcoming presidential elections, in violating of the Brotherhood's decision not to field candidates. Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fottouh, a leading member of the Brotherhood known for his moderate views and appeal among the youth, was expelled on Saturday for violating the group's rules.

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