State Department Photo
Cairo, Egypt
June 22, 2014
FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY: (Via interpreter) I would like to welcome
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in his current visit to Cairo. And
this visit (inaudible) time. Egypt is taking steady steps to (inaudible)
the implementation of the roadmap, and after having fulfilled the
second election (inaudible) elections, and the assumption of power of
President Fattah – Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after having won a majority that
reflects the wide spectrum of voters. These elections (inaudible)
closely followed by several international observers, including the
United States, (inaudible). I trust that Secretary Kerry, whom I’ve
known personally when I was ambassador to Washington and he was head of
the Foreign Relations Committee in the Senate – we both agree that the
working relationship that we’ve had in the past in which we were used to
having candid conversations and very (inaudible) will continue. We will
work together to broaden these meetings and cooperation between both
countries. This is the same spirit that prevailed once again during this
visit.
Secretary Kerry met President Adbel Fattah al-Sisi today and they
discussed (inaudible) meetings with him also were all held in a positive
atmosphere, and we addressed several regional and international issues
of shared concern. And we also agreed that we should mobilize our
efforts to confront these challenges and threats threatening the region,
and also to address some of the repercussions on international peace
and security, and especially the situation in Syria and Iraq and Libya,
and the faltering efforts on the peace front between the Israelis and
the Palestinians. All these require close cooperation and continued
cooperation between the U.S. and Egypt.
Our discussions also addressed bilateral issues on several fronts.
And I can say that we have reached an agreement over the need to expend
more effort in order to push our strategic relations between our two
countries forward, to reflect the longstanding history. And this
relationship has been based on shared and common interests and mutual
respect in order to enhance the chances for building on the very strong
relations between the two countries, and also reflecting the size – the
important role of the U.S. and Egypt as a regional power.
We also agreed that we should work at the highest level to push our
mutual relationship forward based on solid grounds and to clear it of
any misunderstanding, in order to reflect the strategic nature. And we
also agreed on the need to work sincerely towards removing any obstacles
to its further development in the interests of both countries and both
people.
I am certain that Secretary Kerry believes in the importance of the
relationship between the two countries and the strategic depth, and I
would like to reiterate that he personally is concerned to improve them
even further. Once again, I welcome the Secretary John Kerry in Cairo
and give him the chance to speak.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you very much, Minister Shoukry. I’m
delighted to be back in Cairo. And I want to congratulate Sameh on his
assuming the role of foreign minister of Egypt. And indeed, we have
worked together previously, and I look forward to continuing that and
working with him as both of us perform these functions as the ministers
for foreign affairs of our countries.
I came here today to reaffirm the strength of the important
partnership, the historic partnership between the United States and
Egypt, and also to consult on the critical situations that we face in
the region – obviously, particularly Iraq, Syria and Libya. After three
difficult years of transition, the United States remains deeply
committed to seeing Egypt succeed. We want to see the people of Egypt
succeed, and we want to contribute to the success of the region.
As President Obama told President al-Sisi after his inauguration, we
are committed to working together to fulfill the full promise of Egypt’s
2011 revolution, and to support the political and economic and social
aspirations of the Egyptian people as well as their universal human
rights. I reiterated that message in each of my meetings today as part
of a broad and a very constructive discussion of the issues, including
Israeli-Palestinian relations, Egypt’s return to the African Union, and
confronting the shared threats of terrorism and extremism.
I want to thank President al-Sisi for a very candid and comprehensive
discussion in which we both expressed our deep concerns about a number
of issues, but most importantly our mutual determination for our
countries to work together in partnership in order to deal with the
challenges that we face.
I emphasized also our strong support for upholding the universal
rights and freedoms of all Egyptians, including freedom of expression,
peaceful assembly and association. We also discussed the essential role
of a vibrant civil society, a free press, and rule of law, and due
process in a democracy. There is no question that Egyptian society is
stronger when all of its citizens have a say and a stake in its success.
And I welcome the recent statements from President al-Sisi and his call
for review of human rights legislation.
We discussed the economic challenges of Egypt and I made clear
President Obama’s and the United States’s commitment to be helpful in
that regard.
We also discussed, as I said earlier, the grave security situation in
Iraq. Over the next week, I will make the same case with other leaders
that I made to President al-Sisi today. ISIL, or DASH as many people
call it here, its ideology of violence and repression is a threat not
only to Iraq but to the entire region. This is a critical moment where
together we must urge Iraq’s leaders to rise above sectarian motivations
and form a government that is united in its determination to meet the
needs and speak to the demands of all of their people.
For Egypt, this is also a moment of high stakes as well as a moment
of great opportunity. Perhaps the greatest challenge that the new
government faces is providing economic opportunity for Egyptians who
seek and deserve a better life, including the millions of young people
who have played an instrumental role in their country’s historic
political change. Together with our international partners, including
friends in the region like the Saudis, the Emiratis, the United States
will contribute and work towards the economic support and transformation
of Egypt, and work to help provide stability and an economic
transformation for all Egyptians.
Egypt and its people have made clear their demands for dignity,
justice and for political and economic opportunity. They just had a
historic election for president, and there will be further elections for
the parliament. And the United States fully supports these aspirations
and the efforts of the government to help fulfill its obligations in
that regard. And we will stand with the Egyptian people as they fight
for the future that they want and that they deserve.
So we have a lot of work to do together. We know that. We talked
about that today. And I think we really found ourselves on a similar
page of changes that have yet to be made, promises that have yet to be
fulfilled, but of a serious sense of purpose and commitment by both of
us to try to help achieve those goals.
All of the things that are happening here are happening at a moment
of extraordinary change in many parts of this region, and it is
imperative for all of us to work cooperatively to try to address these
concerns. Likewise, we talked about the challenges of Libya and the
challenge that many countries face in this region of the spillover
effect of terrorism, extremism that is playing out in various countries.
That is true in Libya and that is true in Iraq. And both Egypt and the
United States share deep concerns and a deep opposition to the challenge
that these threats of radical ideology and extremism and what they
present to everybody.
So we will continue to work. We will work hard to augment what is a
longstanding and deep partnership between the United States and Egypt,
recognizing that we both have things to do that we can do better and
that we both will work to do so. But we will do so with a common
understanding of the mutual interests that we share in standing up to
the greatest threat of all to this region, which is the threat of these
terrorists who want to tear apart rule of law and tear away an existing
governance. And neither of us have an interest in allowing that to
happen.
I’d be happy to answer a few questions.
FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY: (Via interpreter) (Inaudible.)
QUESTION: Thank you. A question from (inaudible) Al Arabiya magazine.
And my question is for you, Secretary of State. First of all, you said
that the Egyptian relation with the Americans are strategic. And yet,
there is maybe a decision to decrease the aid by 26 percent. Don’t you
think this give (inaudible) message to the Egyptians that the United
States is trying to dictate Egypt, trying to pressure Egypt in a certain
way which takes the level of the Egyptian-American relations away from
being strategic? Your comment about this.
And the second point, you mentioned terrorism as the main actually
threat to the United States and to the region, the Middle East. And yet,
although you – the United States is saying that they are claiming that
they are having efforts to combat terrorism, they are refusing to give
Egypt the (inaudible) that the Egyptian are going to use to combat
terrorism in Sinai. Don’t you think there is a contradiction here
between words and actually actions when it comes to Egypt, and why?
Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you for the question, and I’ll – I’m
happy to answer both parts of it. On the first part of the question,
President Obama and the Administration have proposed providing the full
amount of aid, the $650 billion, that comes with the first
certification, and the House of Representatives has passed that, and now
it’s the Senate that had a slight reduction and a different formula. We
will work that out, and I am confident that we will be able to
ultimately get the full amount of aid for precisely the reasons that I
describe – because it is strategic and it is important for us to be able
to work together.
So I’m absolutely confident we will get on track there, as I am
confident, to answer the second part of your question, that the Apaches
will come and that they will come very, very soon. I had a conversation
this morning even with Senator Leahy from here in Cairo, based on the
conversations that we have had. I am very confident that we’ll be able
to move forward and there are strong reasons for doing so. Those Apaches
are focused on the issue of terrorism, and they will be used in a place
where Egypt has been working very, very hard in concert with Israel and
others, and with us, in order to push back against these terrorist
activities.
So I think that the interests of American legislators – and I can
speak to this having been one for many years – are to try and guarantee
that the dollars, the taxpayer dollars of the American people that are
being spent are being spent on things that Americans will feel is
appropriate and meets their needs. It’s not an effort to dictate. It’s
simply an effort to guarantee that that hard-earned taxpayer dollar is
going to a purpose that the American people will support, and it’s
really an issue of protecting that interest, not of trying to dictate to
any particular country.
MODERATOR: The next question is from Margaret Brennan of CBS News.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, Iran’s Supreme Leader this morning accused
the U.S. of trying to put yes men in power in Iraq, and said he’s
opposed to U.S. intervention there. How is Iranian influence and backing
of Maliki affecting the efforts to try to create a more inclusive
government there? And what will your message be to Gulf leaders who do
have influence on the ground in Iraq and may be able to stop some of the
funding that is also flowing through to ISIS?
And following that, Minister, if you could tell us – U.S. officials
say there are a lot of concerns about this country’s mass jailing of
journalists, of those associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, and of an
epidemic of sexual violence. Can you tell us if there are any assurances
that you can provide that your country will prevent those?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, with respect to the question of Iran and the
Ayatollah’s comments, let me just say that the United States is not
engaged in picking or choosing or advocating for any one individual or
series of individuals to assume the leadership of Iraq. That is up to
the Iraqi people. We have made that clear since day one. It is up to the
people of Iraq to choose their future leadership. But we do note that
the Kurds have expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation, the
Sunni have expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation, and
some Shia have expressed dissatisfaction. And Ayatollah Sistani very
recently issued a statement in which he said that it was vital for the
leadership of Iraq to be a leadership that did not have – did not
continue the mistakes of the past and that was going to represent all of
the Iraqi people.
So I think we are completely in sync with the people of Iraq,
certainly with the expressed comments of various leaders. The United
States would like to see the Iraqi people find leadership that is
prepared to represent all of the people of Iraq, that is prepared to be
inclusive and share power in a way that will maximize the ability of
Iraq to focus on the real danger at this moment from an external source,
which is ISIL. ISIL is a threat to all of the countries in the region.
Even today in our conversation with President al-Sisi and with the
foreign minister, both expressed deep concerns about the impact of a
group like ISIL and what it means to the region. No country is safe from
that kind of spread of terror, and none of us can afford to leave that
entity with a safe haven which would become a base for terror against
anyone and all, not only in the region but outside of the region as
well.
So that’s what we’re focused on, and I think that’s – that really is a
fair summary of not only our position but the position of other people
in the region that I’ve heard.
You had a second part?
QUESTION: (Inaudible) to the Gulf countries (inaudible)?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, the – thank you, yeah. The message to any
country from anywhere or any individual from anywhere is that there is
no safety margin whatsoever in funding a group like ISIL. And we
particularly discourage individuals in the region who may have been
sending money through some innocent charity or through various
backchannel initiatives under the guise that it’s for the general
welfare and benefit of people who’ve been displaced, but then that money
finds its way into the hands of terrorists. So we are obviously
discouraging any kind of support to entities where it is unsure where
the money is going or where it is specifically going to an entity like
ISIL. And that goes to any government, any charity, any individual. We
must not allow that kind of funding to be made part of the – part of
this equation.
FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY: (Via interpreter.) (Inaudible) that the
Egyptian people, which has come through three years of transition and
launched two revolutions in order to fulfill its own aspirations for a
democratic state that takes into consideration the interests of its own
people and achieve justice and prosperity.
Now it’s important that after having completed the second point on
the roadmap and the approval or ratification of the constitution
and the
election of the president, it’s important now that we move forward to
establish a state of – that respects the rule of law. And the Egyptian
people fully respect and trust its own judicial system and its ability
also to deal with transparency and full neutrality to deal with all the
issues and make things right, and also to preserve rights. Therefore,
anybody who’s being accused has the opportunity to have fair trial and a
strong defense to prove his or her innocence. And we are moving within
the framework of upholding the laws that would give people the sense of
stability that they need in this regard.
With respect to violence against women, we believe this phenomenon
has attracted great attention here in Egypt. And following some of the
most painful events that have taken place recently, there has been a law
that has particularly targeted this issue. There’s also been – civil
society has strongly also opposed it and the government is working in
order to preserve the place of women in society and to protect them
against harassment. Women are an important part of society and it’s
important for them to enjoy full protection.
MODERATOR: (Via interpreter.) This is Mohammed Madov from (inaudible).
QUESTION: Thank you. This is Mohammad Madov from October Weekly Magazine and the (inaudible) website.
Mr. Secretary, I’d like to ask you about what’s your comment on the
disastrous situation in Iraq and Libya that have led many people to
accuse the American administration of being responsible for this
situation through its role in exchanging old regimes in the region.
People think that led to division of the Arab armies, terrorism, and
sectarian disputes and may lead to division of the Arab countries on
sectarian basis.
(Via interpreter.) With respect to the American – U.S.-Egyptian
Strategic Dialogue, is there any intention to further activate it?
FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY: I should go first?
SECRETARY KERRY: Go ahead.
FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY: (Via interpreter) With respect to the
Strategic Dialogue, this is very important initiative supported that
further enhance U.S.-Egyptian relations, and we have discussed this
issue during our negotiations. And we are in the process of making
special arrangements to activate this initiative. This initiative will
definitely positively contribute to (inaudible) the appropriate
framework for this relationships in the interest of both countries in
various fields. This dialogue covers all areas of cooperation between
the two countries and the economic and social and also political front
in the interest of the Egyptian people, and also will further enhance
understanding and deepen shared interest between the two countries and
get it to a point which – according to which our relations can move
forward, and it also allows for the exchange of opinions on issues which
require further dialogue.
MS. PSAKI: The final question –
SECRETARY KERRY: No, let me answer that if I may.
MS. PSAKI: Sorry.
SECRETARY KERRY: Let me make this as clear as I know how to make this
clear. The United States of America was not responsible for what
happened in Libya and nor is it responsible for what is happening in
Iraq today.
What happened in Libya was that a dictator was attacking his own
people and was threatening to go door to door to kill them like dogs.
And the United Nations joined together in a resolution that they would
have a mission to try to protect those people. And the people rose up
and the people marched all the way from Benghazi, all the way to
Tripoli, and they, in their own voices, in their own actions, decided
they wanted a different life. And today, the United States is working
with Egypt, with Tunisia, with Algeria, with Morocco, with Europe, with
other countries in order to try to help Libya to be able to pushback
against extremists who don’t want them to have that rule of law and that
kind of life.
Let me be also clear about Iraq. What’s happening in Iraq is not
happening because of the United States, in terms of this current crisis.
The United States shed blood and worked hard for years to provide
Iraqis the opportunity to have their own governance and have their own
government. And they chose a government in several elections, and they
just had another election recently. But ISIL – DASH – crossed the line
from Syria, began plotting internally, and they have attacked
communities and they’re the ones who are marching through to disturb
this ability of the people of Iraq to continue to form their government
and have the future that they want. This is about ISIL’s terrorist
designs on the state of Iraq. And no one should mistake what is
happening or why.
And the United States is prepared, as we have been in the past, to help
Iraq be able to stand up against that. The President has made the
determination, which is an accurate reflection of the American people
who feel that we’ve shed our blood and we’ve done what we can to provide
that opportunity, so we’re not going to put additional combat soldiers
there. But we will help Iraqis to complete this transition if they
choose it. If they want, they have an opportunity to choose leadership
that could represent all of Iraq, a unity government that brings people
together, and focus on ISIL. And I am convinced that they will do so,
not just with our help, but with the help of almost every country in the
region as well as others in the world who will always stand up against
the tyranny of this kind of terrorist activity. That’s what’s happening
in Iraq, and nobody should lose sight of it.
MS. PSAKI: The final question is from Jay Solomon of Wall Street Journal.
QUESTION: Thank you very much. Secretary Kerry, I was hoping if you
could give us a sense of your meeting with President Sisi today. And did
you obtain any assurances from the Egyptian leader that he’s committed
to building a more inclusive government and providing more political
space for Egyptian journalists, political activists, and the Muslim
Brotherhood? As you probably know, more than 100 members of the
Brotherhood were sentenced to death in recent days, and the trail of the
Al Jazeera journalist is expected tomorrow, I believe.
And for Foreign Minister Shoukry, I was hoping you could describe in
some bit your meeting with the Secretary on the situation in Iraq today.
And is it the Egyptian Government’s position that Prime Minister Maliki
in Iraq should resign because of his inability to reach out to the
Sunni minority in that country? Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I had a very comprehensive discussion, Jay,
with President al-Sisi about precisely those issues you’ve just raised
and about many others. We talked specifically about Al Jazeera
journalists. We talked specifically about the court system and death
sentences. And I think it’s more appropriate for President al-Sisi to
speak to those at such time as he deems fit and as is appropriate within
the Egyptian process and system over the course of the next days and
weeks.
But I will say to you that he gave me a very strong sense of his
commitment to make certain that the process he has put in place, a
reevaluation of human rights legislation, a reevaluation of the judicial
process, and other choices that are available are very much on his
mind, and that he’s only been in office for ten days, but he indicated
to me that we should work closely, as we will, and stay tuned to what he
is going to try to implement over the course of these next days, weeks,
and months.
And as you know, that we think it’s important for the president to be
given the opportunity – only ten days in office – to begin to get his
cabinet moving and begin to focus on these issues. We have time to make
that measurement and we will in the days ahead.
FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY: (In Arabic.)
MODERATOR: (In Arabic.)
