Foreign Office Visits MB in Alexandria

Foreign Office Visits MB in Alexandria

A delegation from the British Foreign Office, headed by Consul General Marie-Louise Archer, on Thursday visited the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s administrative office in Alexandria. The delegation held the meeting in the presence of former MB Parliamentary Bloc Spokesperson Hamdy Hasan, group members and head of the MB administrative office Hussein Ibrahim.

"The meeting was attended by the Relations Coordinator for the UK foreign Office Martin Hetringen," Archer said, adding that the meeting comes within the framework of British efforts to increase cooperation and accepting cultural differences with Egypt’s political and intellectual trends after the January 25 revolt. Hetringen has expressed his government’s desire to open the door for direct political dialogue with the Brothers, noting that delegations from the Foreign Office were previously keen on holding meetings and contacts with the group’s leaders and members, despite obstacles placed in their way.

"Representatives from the British government met a lot before the revolt with a handful of MB MPs in 2005," he said, indicating that efforts are currently being exerted to promote more open and constructive communication between the British government and all political forces in Egypt.

In an exclusive statement to "Ikhwanweb", Hamdi Hassan said that the meeting was a good opportunity to exchange views and discuss the group’s view on the forthcoming presidential elections, adding that he briefed the British delegation on the MB’s position towards candidates running for the presidency.

He also assured them that the MB does not discriminate among presidential candidates and take a tough stance on some Salafis on demolishing the shrines of revered Sufi figures. The meeting also discussed the group’s party platform and its position with regard to women and Copts.

Hassan noted that this meeting is a positive step by the UK’s Foreign Office in order to closely find out all they need to know concerning the ideas of the group’s leaders, without relying, as was previously done, upon the opinions of others.