Muslim Brotherhood hijacked revolution, US endorses Islamists, Egypt´s liberal parties say

The US government was pressing Egypt´s military leadership to transfer power to the Muslim Brotherhood, which "hijacked the revolution," the country´s liberal parties charged Saturday.

Earlier Saturday, the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission announced that the winner of the run-off election would be announced on Sunday after debate on candidates´ appeals had concluded. One official on the commission has leaked that the Muslim Brotherhood´s candidate, Mohammad Morsi, had raked in a majority of the votes, but over the past week secular candidate Ahmed Shafiq also claimed victory.

General Abed al-Munim Kato, an advisor to the military council´s public relations department, has vilified both the US and the Muslim Brotherhood in light of recent events.

In an interview to the al-Masry al-Youm newspaper, Kato stressed that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton´s criticism of the military rule and her calls for regime change served as confirmation of contact between the US and senior Muslim Brotherhood officials.

"It is unacceptable that Egypt face outside pressure that forces Morsi on us as president," he said.

"Will Morsi be elected president because he spent a lot of time in the US or because his children have US citizenship?" the general wondered, adding that "The Muslim Brotherhood movement has shown itself."

Meanwhile, sources close to both sides told the al-Ahram newspaper that the military government and the Muslim Brotherhood were holding intensive, "high-level" talks that could lead to a political deal. In the end, they claimed, Morsi would be declared president.

On Friday, as tens of thousands demonstrated in Cairo´s Tahrir Square in support of the Muslim Brotherhood and against the army´s latest move, Morsi himself called to announce the election results without further delay.

Speaking at a press conference, Morsi tried to play down the tension with the army and said that he had no problem with the ruling military council, calling it "patriotic." (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 06/23/12)