Kerry: Everyone surprised by uprising

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said Sunday that everyone, including the Egyptian people, were caught by surprise at the populist uprising that is toppling the longstanding regime there.

Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” how the U.S. government could not have anticipated the uprising of Egyptian people demanding the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak, Kerry said the underlying conditions were known, but the exact moment a mystery.

{mosads}”I don’t think anyone, even in Egypt, knew it would happen when it did,” the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee said. “Frankly, the Muslim Brotherhood was taken by surprise…everyone in Egypt suddenly saw this moment erupt.”

Kerry struck a positive tone about the developments in Egypt, calling what has happened in the last several days “quite extraordinary.”

“We ought to be elated that they are in fact sitting down, that the army is restraining itself,” he said. However, he called on Mubarak to provide further clarity about the ultimate transition process.

“A clarity about that process, I believe this is missing,” he said. “What is important is that the Egyptian people understand that their demands are being met, that there will be an election, that it will be open, fair, free and accountable…we want to do this right.”

He also said the administration has been “crystal clear” on its position in Egypt, despite recent confusion caused by former ambassador Frank Wisner. He was deployed to Egypt last week as a special envoy on behalf of the president to speak with Mubarak, but suggested Saturday that the Egyptian president should stay on through the transitional process, leading to an outcry from the Egyptian online community.

Kerry said Wisner was clearly speaking for himself and not the administration.

“Mr. Wisner’s comments just don’t reflect where the administration has been [since] day one,” he said.

James Baker, who served as Secretary of State under President George H.W. Bush, said later in the program he agreed with Kerry’s optimistic assessment of the Egyptian situation.

“I think things are moving, tentatively at least, in the right direction,” he said. “It is a sea change, a tectonic change…for Egypt obviously, but also for the Middle East.”