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CAIRO: US Secretary of State John Kerry sought to assure Middle East allies that the Iran nuclear deal would make them safer, as he began a regional tour in the Egyptian capital today. Kerry met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry to patch up troubled relations between the two countries with a pledge of support. He was to later meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before flying to Qatar to meet Gulf Arab counterparts.
Egypt, and other countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia, are suspicious of Iran, which they view as bent on destabilising their countries.
“There can be absolutely no question that if the Vienna plan is fully implemented, it will make Egypt and all the countries of this region safer than they otherwise would be or were,” Kerry told a joint Cairo press conference with Shoukry.
“The United States and Egypt recognise that Iran is engaged in destabilising activities in the region – and that is why it is so important to ensure that Iran’s nuclear programme remains wholly peaceful,” he said.
“If Iran is destabilising, it is far, far better to have an Iran that doesnt have a nuclear weapon than one that does.”
Ties between the US and Egypt had frayed after then army chief Sisi overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
More than 1,000 of Morsi’s supporters were killed in a sweeping crackdown on protests, and militants have since killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen.
Most of the attacks have been conducted by the Egyptian affiliate of the jihadist Islamic State group, which a US-led coalition is battling.
Kerry spoke of the need for a “balance” between fighting militants and respecting human rights in Egypt.
The “US and Egypt are moving back to a stronger base of relationship,” Kerry said at the press conference.
“There has been a little bit of tensions here and there over certain issues. The US has expressed concerns about some of the challenges of human rights protection.”
Washington had frozen arms deliveries to Cairo following the crackdown on Morsi’s supporters, but resumed aid in March and delivered a batch of F-16 jets to Egypt last week.
“We have signficantly increased military cooperation as seen from the delivery of the F-16s, other equipment and goods which are very essential in the fight against terrorism,” Kerry said.
