Beginning in Egypt yesterday, November 3, 2013, John Kerry’s 10-day visit is to take him to five countries.
US Secretary of State, John Kerry, yesterday, November 3, 2013, arrived unannounced in Egypt for a few hours at the start of a tour of countries in the region, the BBC reported. He will visit countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
The most senior American official to visit Egypt since the ousting of President Mohamed Mursi last July, Kerry’s visit came on the eve of Mursi’s trial that is due to begin today, November 4, 2013. Reports said the visit was kept secret by US officials until John Kerry landed in Cairo - the first time a US Secretary of State has visited Egypt unannounced for security reasons. He called for an end to all violence in Egypt and urged moves to full democracy, adding that "History has demonstrated that democracies are more stable, viable and prosperous than any alternative."
Al Jazeera TV said John Kerry began his Cairo stop with a meeting with Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy. He later met Army Chief, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as well as the Interim President Adly Mansour and civic leaders. The US Secretary of State’s visit came at a time of strained relations with Egypt after Washington suspended some military aid following Mursi’s ouster. The United States said on October 9, 2013 that it will withhold deliveries of tanks, fighter aircraft, helicopters and missiles, as well as 260 million Dollars (about FCFA 126.4 billion) in cash aid to Egypt, pending progress on democracy and human rights.
According to a press statement by Jen Psaki, State Department Spokesperson, Secretary of State John F. Kerry will also travel to Riyadh, Warsaw, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Amman, Abu Dhabi, Algiers, and Rabat from November 3 to November 12, 2013. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Kerry will meet with King Abdullah to discuss a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including the strategic nature of US-Saudi relations. In Jerusalem and Bethlehem, he will meet with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials to discuss the ongoing final status negotiations as well as other regional issues of mutual concern.
