(Reuters) — A nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers last month will boost security in Egypt and the Middle East region, the U.S. Secretary of State said in Cairo on Sunday (August 2).
“There can be absolutely no question that if the Vienna plan, fully implemented, it will make Egypt and all the countries of this region safer than they otherwise would be,” said John Kerry, during the first “strategic dialogue” talks between Egypt and the United States since 2009.
Despite Washington’s concerns about Egypt’s lagging democratic reforms, Cairo remains one of its closest security allies in the Middle East, an increasingly crucial role amid unprecedented turmoil in the region.
Kerry said he looked forward to seeing parliamentary elections in Egypt soon.
“Sameh (Shukri) and I agreed on the importance of ensuring free and fair and transparent parliamentary elections in Egypt this year. I understand from him that they are working towards a date sometime in the early fall. We are very excited about that as it is part of the road map towards democracy and we are sure that it will be open to all peaceful political actors,” he said.
Egypt has been without a parliament since June 2012, when a court dissolved the democratically elected main chamber, reversing a major accomplishment of the 2011 uprising that autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
U.S.-Egyptian relations cooled considerably after Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was ousted in 2013 by the military amid mass protests against his rule.
While Washington has praised former general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led Mursi’s overthrow and was elected to succeed him, for the stability he has brought to Egypt, it has also cautiously criticised Egypt’s human rights record and a crackdown on Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Kerry said talks with Shukri had also tackled increased cooperation on border security with neighboring Libya. Islamic State militants have exploited a power vacuum in Libya to gain a foothold there, creating worries of a potential spillover of violence.
