Egypt reciprocated by participating in the ongoing Saudi-led air campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The dialogue will be the first between the two countries since 2009, and comes days after the United States announced that it would begin the delivery of eight F-16 fighter jets to Cairo. Their concerns are a warning to Egypt, which relies on Congress to approve $1.3 billion a year in military aid.
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“The F-16s provide a valuable capability that is needed during these times of regional instability”, the statement quoted senior embassy defence official Major General Charles Hooper as saying.
Kerry will travel to Doha Monday to meet with his counterparts from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.
Kerry’s trip picks up his broader diplomatic agenda after months preoccupied by the Iran nuclear negotiations.
Officials said the Iran-related portion of the trip was primarily designed to follow-up on a May meeting that President Barack Obama hosted for Arab leaders at Camp David at which the U.S. promised them enhanced security cooperation and expedited defense sales to guard against a potential Iranian threat.
“I understand the fear”, said Kerry in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“Trust between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. has been damaged by the Iran nuclear deal”, Paul Sullivan, a Middle East specialist at Georgetown University in Washington, told Bloomberg.
At a press conference following the official meeting, which included a visit to a graduation ceremony at Egypt’s Military Academy, Riyadh’s Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubair expressed both countries’ desire to “to boost and intensify bilateral, strategic, and historic ties”. They will discuss security issues, including efforts to combat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. State Department has already approved the request by Saudi Arabia to purchase the PAC-3 missiles, according to a memorandum the Pentagon sent Congress on Wednesday.
They added, that, “As the Middle East descends into proxy wars, sectarian conflicts and battles against terrorist networks, countries in the region that have stockpiled U.S. military hardware are now actually using it and wanting more”.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the action was a way to strengthen existing sanctions so that they would continue to have “maximum impact”.
The three Southeast Asian nations are among the 12 countries involved in talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal that would cut tariffs and trade barriers among participants.
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The issue has become more pressing, and complicated, by the advance of Saudi Arabia’s and Israel’s other common enemy, which also happens to be one of Iran’s foes: Daesh.
