Kerry visit gives political boost to Al Sisi regime

United States yesterday took a crucial step to overcome the tensions that have marked its relationship with Cairo since the coup last summer by the deposed Islamist Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president. The Secretary of State, John Kerry, traveled to Cairo to meet with the new president, Abdelfatá Al Sisi, as part of a tour of the Middle East in which its allies will deal with the challenge of jihadist offensive in Iraq.

The visit is interpreted as a political boost to Al Sisi ‘s regime, only a day after a controversial court decision by which the death sentences of 183 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood were ratified, including its supreme guide, Mohamed Badie.

“This is a critical transition in Egypt, with huge challenges now. U.S. is keen to work closely with President Al Sisi and his Cabinet, to achieve as quickly and smoothly as possible transition,” Kerry said at a press conference in a hotel in Cairo’s capital with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri. Never until now the Obama administration had expressed such a clear and unqualified support to the  new authorities, which culminated in the holding of presidential elections in late May. Al Sisi won 96% of the vote in elections in which the Muslim Brotherhood was not allowed to participate, the main opposition group, which is now outlawed and considered a terrorist group by Al Sisi regime.

As a sign of the new layout of Washington to the Egyptian regime, Kerry reported that 10 days ago, the White House unblocked 572 million dollars in annual aid to Egypt. They had obtained the green light from the Capitol. The U.S. Congress partially suspended in autumn offering assistance to the Arab country, because of the wave of repression unleashed since the coup of 2013, which has resulted in the death of over 1,500 people and another 20,000 arrested during anti-government protests. The aid amounts to more than 1,000 million euros each year.

The chief U.S. diplomat also said that Washington “will send very, very soon ” to the Arab country 10 Apache helicopters whose delivery had been frozen since late last year. The Egyptian government said that the need to carry out their anti-terrorist operations in the Sinai Peninsula. “The question of the Apache was a high priority for Egypt. In recent months, at each meeting, even with the Ministry of Health, we were asked for the Apache, ” U.S. diplomat said.

In their public statements, Kerry went on tiptoe about the issue of human rights violations in the country. He merely expressed his confidence in the new president. “I have discussed these issues with President Al Sisi, I have taken the resounding impression of its commitment to review the situation of human rights and judicial guarantees – have to understand that only takes 10 days,” said the secretary of State to a question from a reporter about the death sentences of Islamist sympathizers and the trial of three journalists from Al Jazeera, who face long prison terms. It is expected that the judgment is made public today.

More than Egypt, Kerry spent most of his talk in front of the media on the situation in Iraq.

According to analysts, the extreme instability that Iraq suffers explains Washington’s policy toward Egypt. “Increased insecurity in the region because of the jihadist uprising in Iraq has forced Obama to change the balance between trying to find preserving stability and promoting democracy,” says Gamal Soltan, Professor of Political Science at American University of Cairo. “In addition, over the months, it is clear that the new regime was consolidated, and no choice but to get along with it,” he adds.

Kerry ‘s visit was received with indifference by Egyptian society, which is bitterly polarized and demobilized after a year of repression of popular demonstrations. In fact, yesterday was violently suppressed a protest organized by lay activists against a law giving the Interior Ministry ‘s ability to ban any demonstration. “No wonder Kerry ‘s visit. The U.S. foreign policy has always favored their interests, is who is in power, “says Manar Shaarawi, a young teacher who teaches in Cairo.

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Posted by Jamshed Sindhu on Jun 24 2014. Filed under Middle East, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.