Blinken begins Middle East trip amid spate of violence
29/01/2023 14:01 - RSF
By Simon Lewis
CAIRO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Middle East on Sunday, beginning a three-day visit as violence flares between Israelis and Palestinians, and with Iran and the war in Ukraine high on the agenda.
RIGHTS CONCERNS
In Cairo, Blinken will meet President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to strengthen Washington's "strategic partnership" with Egypt and boost cooperation on regional issues like Sudan’s transition and elections in Libya, Leaf said.
Blinken will also be under pressure to raise human rights concerns.
The Biden administration has withheld millions of dollars in military aid to Egypt over its failure to meet human rights conditions, although advocacy groups have pushed for more to be withheld, alleging widespread abuses including torture and enforced disappearances.
Most of the $1.3 billion in foreign military aid that Washington sends to Egypt each year remains intact and the United States has credited Sisi's government with progress on political detentions.
Sisi, who became president in 2014, has said Egypt holds no political prisoners, and argues that security is paramount and that the government is promoting human rights by working to provide basic needs like jobs and housing.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis Editing by Don Durfee and Frances Kerry)
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