CAIRO — Several prominent Egyptian Christians boycotted a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Sunday, objecting to what they said was interference by the United States in Egypt’s politics and its role in aiding the Islamists’ rise to power.
Clergy members and other who did attend complained to Mrs. Clinton that the United States seemed to be siding with Egypt’s newly elected president, Mohamed Morsi, a former leader in the Muslim Brotherhood, in his power struggle with the country’s top military council.
“We see the Americans as biased,” said Emad Gad, a former member of Parliament who said he had refused to attend the meeting. “It’s an Egyptian issue. It’s not for the secretary of state.”
Most of the objections seemed to center on the Obama administration’s calls for a speedy transition to civilian rule, rather than on any particular fondness it has shown for the Muslim Brotherhood. Even so, the controversy underscores the difficulties Mrs. Clinton has faced during her two-day visit to Egypt, treading through the minefield of Egypt’s messy transition, with its political squabbles and ideological splits.
Constrained by an almost blanket mistrust of the United States’ motives in Egypt, Mrs. Clinton has used her only leverage, economic aid, to try to coax the military and Mr. Morsi toward a resolution of their rift. She seemed to spend much of her time defending the United States against accusations of bias, and making statements intended not to offend anyone.
On Sunday, Mrs. Clinton met with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the leader of the military council that took power after President Hosni Mubarak was deposed last year. The military still retains broad legislative and executive authority, having seized further powers before the June presidential election.
In the past, American officials have called for an immediate transfer of those powers to civilian authorities, but Mrs. Clinton shied away from such language during her visit. After the meeting on Sunday, which lasted a little over an hour, a senior State Department official said Field Marshal Tantawi and Mrs. Clinton had discussed the economy, regional security, “the political transition” and the military’s “ongoing dialogue with President Morsi.”
But just hours after the meeting, Field Marshal Tantawi seemed eager to ratchet up the dispute with Mr. Morsi. “Egypt will not fall. It is for all Egyptians, not for a certain group,” he said at a military ceremony in comments widely interpreted as referring to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Clergy members and other who did attend complained to Mrs. Clinton that the United States seemed to be siding with Egypt’s newly elected president, Mohamed Morsi, a former leader in the Muslim Brotherhood, in his power struggle with the country’s top military council.
“We see the Americans as biased,” said Emad Gad, a former member of Parliament who said he had refused to attend the meeting. “It’s an Egyptian issue. It’s not for the secretary of state.”
Most of the objections seemed to center on the Obama administration’s calls for a speedy transition to civilian rule, rather than on any particular fondness it has shown for the Muslim Brotherhood. Even so, the controversy underscores the difficulties Mrs. Clinton has faced during her two-day visit to Egypt, treading through the minefield of Egypt’s messy transition, with its political squabbles and ideological splits.
Constrained by an almost blanket mistrust of the United States’ motives in Egypt, Mrs. Clinton has used her only leverage, economic aid, to try to coax the military and Mr. Morsi toward a resolution of their rift. She seemed to spend much of her time defending the United States against accusations of bias, and making statements intended not to offend anyone.
On Sunday, Mrs. Clinton met with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the leader of the military council that took power after President Hosni Mubarak was deposed last year. The military still retains broad legislative and executive authority, having seized further powers before the June presidential election.
In the past, American officials have called for an immediate transfer of those powers to civilian authorities, but Mrs. Clinton shied away from such language during her visit. After the meeting on Sunday, which lasted a little over an hour, a senior State Department official said Field Marshal Tantawi and Mrs. Clinton had discussed the economy, regional security, “the political transition” and the military’s “ongoing dialogue with President Morsi.”
But just hours after the meeting, Field Marshal Tantawi seemed eager to ratchet up the dispute with Mr. Morsi. “Egypt will not fall. It is for all Egyptians, not for a certain group,” he said at a military ceremony in comments widely interpreted as referring to the Muslim Brotherhood.