The Los Angeles Times newspaper reported that the Obama administration, for the first time, expressed its support to allow Islamic groups, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood, be part of a future government in Egypt. The White House said that these groups must renounce violence and recognize the goals of democracy if they want to get recognition from the United States.
The acceptance of the Muslim Brotherhood came during a recent meeting of foreign policy experts at the White House on Monday. The meeting, led by deputy national security adviser for strategic communications Benjamin Rhodes, and two other National Security Council officials, Daniel Shapiro and Samantha Power, discussed the recent events in the Middle East region, and the potential for the protests to spread.
Meanwhile, the New York Times quoted participants in this meeting as saying that President Obama believed that Egyptian politics needed to include 'non-secular' parties.
