John Kerry urges Egyptians to continue ‘march towards democracy’ on visit
Comments made as Secretary of State becomes highest-ranking US official to visit the country since the ousting of Mohamed Morsi last month
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Egypt to continue on its “march to democracy”, as he began a 10-day tour of the Middle East, Europe and North Africa.
It was the highest-ranking visit of any US official to the country since its first democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi was removed from office in a military coup this summer.
Meeting with the Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Fahmy, Mr Kerry played down any talk of diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
He said that the US-Egyptian relationship should not be defined by American assistance and insisted that the suspension of most of its military aid was “not a punishment”.
Mr Kerry nonetheless told reporters that the partnership would only grow to its “strongest” level when Egypt is “represented by an inclusive, democratically-elected, civilian government based on rule of law, fundamental freedoms, and an open and competitive economy”.
While acknowledging that Egypt had faced “difficult challenges” and “turbulent years”, including in its relationship with the US, Mr Kerry urged Egyptians to continue their “march to democracy”.
The US is a “friend and partner” to the Egyptian people and wants to contribute to the country's success, he said, adding that it would accept an Egyptian offer to set up a “strategic dialogue” that would discuss regional security and counterterrorism efforts.
Mr Fahmy said last month that US-Egyptian relations were in “turmoil” and warned that the strain could affect the entire Middle East.
But speaking during the joint press conference on Sunday, he was much more positive, noting Mr Kerry’s comments about the “roadmap” to democracy laid out by Egypt's military chief General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and said they indicated that “we are all pursuing a resumption of normal relations”.
That “roadmap” includes amending the Islamist-tilted constitution adopted under Morsi last year and putting the new charter to a nationwide referendum before the end of the year, then having parliamentary and presidential elections by the spring of 2014.
Kerry offered cautious praise for the interim government, saying it “has made very important statements about the roadmap and is now engaged” in implementing those steps.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments