US STATE SECRETARY KERRY TO VISIT EGYPT ON SUNDAY
Cairo, , 29 Dul Hijja 1434/3 November 2913 (MINA) – The US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in Cairo on Sunday for his first visit to Egypt since elected president Mohamed Morsi’s July 3 ouster by the military, sources at Cairo International Airport said Friday.
Airport officials were notified that Kerry would touch down on Sunday for an hours-long visit during which he was slated to meet with a handful of Egyptian officials.
A US State Department delegation has already arrived in Egypt to prepare for Kerry’s visit, the sources said.
Egyptian authorities have yet to announce Kerry’s itinerary. Anadolu news media reported as quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
Washington’s top diplomat is scheduled to embark on a Middle East tour from November 3 to 11. Cairo, however, had not been included as a stop on the planned tour.
But Kerry said this week that he might visit Cairo for meetings with Egyptian officials.
“One of the meetings that I insisted on having was that we make sure we meet with a cross-section of civil society,” Kerry said Tuesday.
The visit will come only one day before Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, is due to appear in a court to face “incitement to violence” charges — allegations supporters say are politically motivated.
Relations between Egypt and the United States soured further after Washington suspended some military aid to Egypt last month following bloody crackdowns on Morsi supporters by Egyptian security forces.
Egyptian officials have criticized the suspension of some U.S. military aid as the military-led government cracks down on its opponents. But others see Washington’s decision as one that only strengthens a resurgent neo-nationalism.
“Many Egyptians are welcoming the cutting of aid because they felt that it was not significant enough to make Egypt a dependent country and a follower of the U.S.,” said political analyst Saad Eddin Ibrahim.
The Egyptian military is trying to flex its muscles after the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, waging what it calls a war on terror. Veteran diplomat Abudllah al Ashaal says that, for the military, it’s a broad concept.
“We are keen not to be necessarily aligned with the United States but to see or pursue our national interests. What is our national interest.
And for that it relies on the U.S. weapons systems it has been using for decades.
“When there’s a change in the arms supplier it usually takes from three to four years to train the military on the new weapons systems,” said political analyst Saad Eddin Ibrahim of IBN Khaldun Center.
And for all the concern about political developments in Egypt, the U.S. has strategic interests at stake; Washington said it would keep helping Egypt in key counter-terrorism efforts.
Sinai not only is attracting more militants, it borders Israel and was a cornerstone of the aid deal with Egypt to make peace with U.S. ally Israel in 1979.(T/P04/P03).
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
