Egypt's government recognizes Muslim Brotherhood party

Leaders of Egypt's Freedom and Justice party, which was established by the Muslim Brotherhood. Cairo - UPI Egypt's interim military government officially recognized the Freedom and Justice Party established by the Muslim Brotherhood, a party spokesman said. "We and others were outlawed  for a long time. It is now a free country for all political factions and civil society. It means that we are starting a new era for multi-party elections in Egypt," Esam el Erian, the deputy chairman of the newly established party told the Abu Dhabi daily The National Wednesday.   The Muslim Brotherhood, banned in Egypt since 1954 after an assassination attempt on the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, will now be able to play a political role in shaping post Mubarak Egypt, the daily said.   While the Muslim Brotherhood is known for its charity work, the political party is relatively unknown, Gamal Soltan, head of the Center for Political and Strategic Studies at al-Ahram in Cairo, told the newspaper.   "There needs to be a clear distinction between the party on one hand and the religious movement on the other. This is important because Egyptians need to know who are the political actors, what are their plans," he said.   "This is a challenge for all of Egypt now, and the new reality," he told the paper.   The Supreme Military Council dissolved the Parliament after ousting former President Hosni Mubarak in February.