Democrat meets banned Brotherhood

The US House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, met Mohammed Saad el-Katatni, the parliamentary leader of Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Previously US officials had refused to meet any members of the Brotherhood. Officials from the Brotherhood claim that the two met twice, once at the parliament building and later at the home of Francis Ricciardone, the US ambassador to Egypt. However, John Berry claimed that they had only met at the ambassador's home as part of a function which included other parliamentary members. He also stated that there had been no change in policy towards the group. "It's our diplomatic practice around the world to meet with parliamentarians, be they members of political parties or independents," Berry said. The claims come hot on the heels of Nancy Pelosi's meeting with Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president and show the determination of the Democrats to chart an independent foreign policy course.