Though Cairo is only about 250 air miles (400 kilometers) from Jerusalem, Kerry is skipping what used to be an nearly mandatory stop in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is waging a public battle to kill the Iran deal in the U.S. Congress. They noted that Defense Secretary Ash Carter had visited the Jewish state in mid-July and that contacts with Israeli officials continue to be robust.
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Kerry’s trip picks up his broader diplomatic agenda after months preoccupied by the Iran nuclear negotiations.
Reported by the “Cairo Declaration”, both sides will work towards developing military cooperation, including establishing a Joint Arab Force, as well as enhancing joint cooperation and investment in the fields of energy, electricity and transportation, Al-Ahram reported. “They recognise that Egypt has different views and possibly interests in a number of regional issues but they still believe that on the strategic objective there is no disagreement”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq in a similar tour earlier this week to talk to his counterparts about the Iran deal. Just this week, the State Department authorized the sale to Saudi Arabia of $5.4 billion in Patriot missiles and related equipment along with $500 million in ammunition. The Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab states fear Shiite Iran’s increasing assertiveness in the region. The two allies, who are partners in the Kingdom-led coalition striking Houthi terrorists in Yemen, are the “wings of Arab security”, President El-Sisi told graduates of the military academy. That was before the political turmoil and strained relations that followed the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, the election of a Muslim Brotherhood president, a 2013 coup led by then-army chief Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Sisi’s subsequent election as president and crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and civil liberties.
Despite the resumption of aid, U.S. officials have continued to voice concerns about Egypt’s repression of Morsi supporters.
Ahead of the trip, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo announced the U.S was delivering eight F-16 fighter jets to Egypt as part of “ongoing” support to Egypt and the region.
All eight from this first batch will arrive by Friday, with four more to be delivered later this year.
In addition to military cooperation, Kerry and Shukri will discuss Washington’s human rights “concerns”.
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“The F-16s provide a valuable capability that is needed during these times of regional instability”, said Major General Charles Hooper, a senior U.S. Embassy defense official.
