Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood blasts Kerry comments

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for saying the Islamist group "stole" the 2011 popular uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
     
The Brotherhood said Friday the United States should respect democratic principles and not "support the dictatorship" of the Egyptian military, which in a popularly-backed coup ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood.
     
The statement was in response to Kerry's comments to leaders of multinational U.S. firms on Wednesday, saying the Brotherhood had appropriated the revolt against Mubarak from young people who started it.
     
Washington has tried to ease tensions with Cairo, after relationship soured following Morsi's ouster in July.
     
Egypt's interim authorities are carrying out a security crackdown against the Brotherhood, which keeps organizing near-daily protests for Morsi's reinstatement.


AP