John Kerry meets with President Sisi and Egypt FM
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is holding a closed meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri on Sunday afternoon, a source at the U.S. embassy in Cairo said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is holding a closed meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri on Sunday afternoon, shortly after the top U.S. diplomat arrived in Cairo as part of a Middle East tour, a source at the U.S. embassy in Cairo said.
The source, speaking anonymously, told Anadolu Agency that Kerry will "assure his Egyptian counterpart that Washington will continue to discharge annual aid to Egypt and that the U.S. administration will stand beside the Egyptian people's choices."
Kerry is scheduled to meet with President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi before leaving Cairo later on Sunday, the source said.
In the first visit by a high-profile U.S. official since al-Sisi was declared the winner of a late May presidential election, Kerry arrived in Cairo earlier on Sunday for a brief visit to "congratulate" the former army, the source said earlier.
Kerry intends to discuss with newly-appointed Shoukri a number of issues including the situation in Iraq and the Gulf area as well as Syria and Palestine, the source has said.
On Friday, U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that "Kerry will travel from June 22-27 to the Middle East and Europe to consult with partners and allies on how we can support security, stability, and the formation of an inclusive government in Iraq, to discuss Middle East security challenges, and to attend the NATO Foreign Ministerial."
Egypt was not mentioned in Psaki's announced itinerary of Kerry's tour, which includes Amman.
Kerry's visit comes amid a bill proposition before the U.S. Congress to reduce Egypt's annual aid package by $400 million pending progress on democracy and human rights issues.
Al-Sisi, who vied against leftist Hamdeen Sabahi, garnered nearly 97 percent of votes, according to figures by the electoral commission.
Egypt's relations with the U.S. deteriorated following last July's ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi, in which al-Sisi is widely believed to have played a key role.
Egypt had used to receive an annual $2.1 billion in aid from the U.S. $1.3 billion in the form of military assistance since the ratification of the 1979 U.S.-brokered peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
Last October, however, Washington froze part of the annual aid package including the sale of Apache gunships and other military equipment pending the "democratic transition" pledged by Egypt's army-backed interim government in the wake of Morsi's ouster last July.
The source, speaking anonymously, told Anadolu Agency that Kerry will "assure his Egyptian counterpart that Washington will continue to discharge annual aid to Egypt and that the U.S. administration will stand beside the Egyptian people's choices."
Kerry is scheduled to meet with President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi before leaving Cairo later on Sunday, the source said.
In the first visit by a high-profile U.S. official since al-Sisi was declared the winner of a late May presidential election, Kerry arrived in Cairo earlier on Sunday for a brief visit to "congratulate" the former army, the source said earlier.
Kerry intends to discuss with newly-appointed Shoukri a number of issues including the situation in Iraq and the Gulf area as well as Syria and Palestine, the source has said.
On Friday, U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that "Kerry will travel from June 22-27 to the Middle East and Europe to consult with partners and allies on how we can support security, stability, and the formation of an inclusive government in Iraq, to discuss Middle East security challenges, and to attend the NATO Foreign Ministerial."
Egypt was not mentioned in Psaki's announced itinerary of Kerry's tour, which includes Amman.
Kerry's visit comes amid a bill proposition before the U.S. Congress to reduce Egypt's annual aid package by $400 million pending progress on democracy and human rights issues.
Al-Sisi, who vied against leftist Hamdeen Sabahi, garnered nearly 97 percent of votes, according to figures by the electoral commission.
Egypt's relations with the U.S. deteriorated following last July's ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi, in which al-Sisi is widely believed to have played a key role.
Egypt had used to receive an annual $2.1 billion in aid from the U.S. $1.3 billion in the form of military assistance since the ratification of the 1979 U.S.-brokered peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
Last October, however, Washington froze part of the annual aid package including the sale of Apache gunships and other military equipment pending the "democratic transition" pledged by Egypt's army-backed interim government in the wake of Morsi's ouster last July.
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