A US career diplomat, Stephen Beecroft, arrived in Cairo late Thursday to serve as Washington\u2019s first ambassador in Egypt in more than a year, state media reported Friday. <\/p>\n
Beecroft, who previously served as ambassador in Iraq and Jordan, will soon present his credentials to Egyptian officials, the state Middle East News Agency said.<\/p>\n
He replaces Anne Patterson, who left Egypt last year following the military\u2019s ouster of Islamist president Mohammad Mursi amid media allegations Patterson was an ally of Mursi\u2019s Muslim Brotherhood. <\/p>\n
Patterson currently serves as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs. Ties between the US and Egypt soured in the wake of Mursi\u2019s overthrow with Washington withholding part of its military aid to Cairo. <\/p>\n
Their relations have warmed in recent months when the US launched efforts to build a large global coalition against militant Daesh, which controls large chunks of territory in Iraq and Syria. <\/p>\n
US President Barack Obama and Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi held landmark talks in September on the sidelines of annual UN meetings in New York. <\/p>\n
Washington also announced delivering Apache helicopters to use in anti-terror operations in restive Sinai.<\/p>\n
In a telephone conversation late Thursday, Obama and Al Sissi reviewed bilateral relations and the regional scene, according to an Egyptian official. \u201cBoth sides agreed on the importance of strategic ties between the two countries and expressed keenness to develop them,\u201d presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said in press remarks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also discussed Egypt\u2019s efforts in combating terrorism. President Obama lauded Egypt\u2019s pivotal role in this regard, pledging to continue to support the Egyptian efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The White House said in a statement however that Obama expressed concern over mass trials and the continued detention of journalists and peaceful activists. Obama encouraged Al Sissi to \u201cinvest in the political, economic, and social aspirations of the Egyptian people,\u201d said the statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Obama also expressed concern about mass trials, the status of NGOs, and the continued imprisonment of journalists and peaceful activists in Egypt,\u201d the statement said. In early December, an Egyptian court sentenced 188 people to death for the murder of 13 police officers \u2014 the latest in a series of mass trials launched by authorities amid a crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohammad Mursi.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of Mursi supporters have been sentenced to die in swift trials the United Nations has called \u201cunprecedented in recent history.\u201d <\/p>\n
AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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