Kerry off to Mideast with Egypt, Iran deal, Syria on agenda

From Egypt, Kerry will travel to the Qatari capital of Doha to meet his Gulf Arab counterparts in a bid to soothe concerns about the Iran deal.

Though Cairo is only about 250 air miles (400 kilometers) from Jerusalem, Kerry is skipping what used to be an nearly mandatory stop in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is waging a public battle to kill the Iran deal in the U.S. Congress.

The last time Kerry spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on July 16, two days after the Iran deal was concluded.

Both sides will also increase mutual investments in the energy, electricity, and transport sectors and have promised to strengthen economic integration.

Egyptian political science professor and former diplomat Dr Abdullah Al-Ashaal called on Saudi Arabia to mediate between the Egyptian regime and the Muslim Brotherhood, stressing that this would help achieve stability in Egypt and handle the challenges threatening the region, including the growing Iranian influence.

Many Gulf countries have said they are concerned about Iran’s ambitions in the region following the pact with the US and five other world powers – Britain, China, France, Germany and Russian Federation.

Kerry will begin his trip in Cairo, where he and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will co-host a strategic dialogue, focusing on a broad range of issues. Sisi has used the almost $4 billion in aid from Saudi Arabia to bolster his military and fledgling economy to counter the threat of Islamic extremism, especially in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula and neighboring Libya.

He emphasize standing by Bahrain in line with the solid brotherly and historical relations bonding the two countries and their people, wishing Bahrain further advancement and stability under the leadership of HM the King.

All eight from this first batch will arrive by Friday, with four more to be delivered later this year.

In a signal that he’ll press such issues, Kerry is including the State Department’s top human rights official, Assistant Secretary Tom Malinowski, in his delegation.

Broadening U.S.-Egyptian trade and economic ties will also be on the table during Kerry’s Egypt visit, which comes just days before the country inaugurates a second, parallel waterway to allow two-way traffic on the Suez Canal.

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