Clapper Needs To Go

The Australian:

Muslim Brotherhood agenda unclear: Washington
Brad Norington, Washington correspondent

BARACK Obama's top US intelligence official has pledged to step up "observation" of the Muslim Brotherhood after admitting to ignorance of its agenda in Egypt.

James Clapper, the President's director of national intelligence, conceded yesterday that he was unclear about the group's attitude to Iran, Egypt's peace treaty with Israel or arms-smuggling to Gaza.

Challenged by members of the US Senate intelligence committee yesterday, Mr Clapper said: "It is hard to, at this point, to point to a specific agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood as a group."

The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic-based opposition group started in 1928, was officially banned under the ousted Mubarak government.

It was nonetheless the largest and most organised opposition group during former president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule and took a prominent role in demonstrations that led to his downfall last weekend.

Since unrest began in Egypt on January 25, questions have been raised about whether the Muslim Brotherhood would seek to establish an Islamic state if it became the dominant political group after elections. Also unclear is its attitude to Egypt's treaty with Israel, considered critical to maintaining peace in the Middle East.

Mr Clapper came under tough scrutiny yesterday from committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, who said US intelligence agencies should know more about an organisation that could play an important role in determining Egypt's future.

"Egypt is the key country in the Middle East and I worry about that," Senator Feinstein said.

Mr Clapper said: "This is obviously something we're going to watch. We're going to have to step up our observation."

Pressed about the Muslim Brotherhood's attitude to Egypt's 31-year-old treaty with Israel, Mr Clapper replied that it was a difficult question, before adding, "they are not in favour of the treaty".

The intelligence chief, appointed by Mr Obama to replace Dennis Blair after security failures related to the attempted Detroit terrorist attack a year ago, described the Muslim Brotherhood as "only one voice" in the Middle East's emerging political milieu.

Mr Clapper said the group was large but its impact differed from country to country.

"It also has different factions, including a conservative wing whose interpretation of Islam runs counter to broad electoral participation, and a younger and more liberal wing more inclined to work through a secular political process."

Mr Clapper sought to clarify his position after telling congress last week the Muslim Brotherhood was a secular group. He said his comment was misunderstood, and he meant the group was seeking to work within secular political systems.

When formed by Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood backed a militant brand of Islam. In recent years, while banned in Egypt, the group has shunned violence and won 88 of the country's 444 parliamentary seats after running independent candidates in the 2005 elections.

In a further admission yesterday, Mr Clapper said the US had not been closely monitoring Tunisia, where unrest in the Middle East began and then spread to Egypt.

"Frankly, Tunisia was probably not up there in our top 10 countries we were watching closely," he said.

CIA director Leon Panetta told the house committee the Muslim Brotherhood had extremist elements that would have to be watched closely.

And he raised new doubts about the Obama administration's continued support for a policy to close the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, when he said al-Qa'ida leader Osama bin Laden, if captured alive, would most likely be sent to the jail.

Mr Obama promised to close the US prison in Cuba at the start of last year, but the policy has run into difficulties because the administration had legal problems bringing terrorism suspects to trial in civilian courts. His opponents in the Republican Party say terrorist detainees should not be brought to US soil.

Mr Panetta told the Senate committee bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, would probably be moved quickly into a military jurisdiction in Afghanistan for questioning and eventually sent to Guantanamo Bay.