国际英语新闻:Kerry in Egypt for Talks on Security, Terrorism

CAIRO—U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry opens talks Sunday in Egypt with his diplomatic counterpart on a range of security issues, as the Cairo government confronts growing terrorist threats in the Sinai peninsula.

American officials say Kerry's talks with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri aim to relaunch a strategic partnership slowed by U.S. human rights concerns over Egypt's 2013 military ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi.  The two governments have not addressed that partnership in face-to-face talks since 2009.

Analysts say Kerry faces the challenge of supporting Egypt's ongoing push against Islamic State-linked extremists, while showing disapproval for Cairo's harsh government policies toward human rights activists, journalists and the political opposition.

A senior State Department official who discussed the situation in the Sinai before Kerry arrived said the U.S. needs to support Egypt's efforts to achieve stability.

“The real challenge for Secretary Kerry in his meetings in Egypt is how to discuss ... the regional fight against terrorism and the domestic situation in Egypt, and how the two fit together,” said Michele Dunne, a prominent American analyst of Middle East developments.

Dunne, who has particular expertise on Egyptian affairs, is a senioir associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

U.S. and Egyptian officials will also discuss political, human rights and economic issues.

Warplanes sale

Separately, the United States announced it is delivering eight  F-16 fighter jets to Egypt.

“The F-16s provide a valuable capability that is needed during these times of regional instability,” said Major General Charles Hooper, a senior defense official at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. defense official. 

The senior U.S. official who briefed reporters on Kerry's missin in the Middle East and Southeast Asia said there was no correlation between the secretary's visit and the warplanes deal.

In March, President Barack Obama announced the United States was lifting a hold on U.S. military aid to Egypt that had been ordered two years ago, after the country's longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak was toppled by nationwide protests.

The U.S. gives Egypt about $1.3 billion in annual military assistance.

Despite the resumption of aid, U.S. officials have continued to voice concerns about Egypt’s repression of supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi, who was elected to succeed Mubarak but who was in turn forced to step down under military pressure.