Americas top diplomat is expected to try to repair ties with a long-standing ally that have been frayed by the conflict in Syria and the recent US outreach to Iran. He first made an unscheduled stop in Egypt, where he called for an end to violence and a move to full democracy. Mr Kerry also said the US is committed to working with Egypts new rulers. Egypt is one of the issues that has caused tension between Saudi Arabia and the United States in recent months. Washington froze some of the $1.3bn (£810m) it gives in aid annually to Egypt when the democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the army earlier this year, while Saudi Arabia has thrown its support behind the new military-backed government. It had earlier been widely reported that the Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, had told European diplomats his country would be making a major shift in its relations with the US. Secretary Kerry is expected to try to smooth over tension regarding Egypt and other issues, including US reluctance to act on Syria, with the Saudi leadership. Saudi Arabia is reportedly unhappy that peace talks over Syria could lead to an Iran-backed government in Damascus. Riyadh is also concerned about a US-Iran rapprochement over Tehrans nuclear programme. Saudi Arabia is an important diplomatic and trading partner for the US. Anti-American sentiment Speaking in Cairo before he flew to to Riyadh, he said he would not allow countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt to be attacked from the outside - a message which was viewed by some as a veiled reference to Iran. John Kerry: Egypts future... will be defined by the combination of stability and economic growth He also stressed the need for Egypt to move toward democracy.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 03:11:10 +0000
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