U.S. Congress delegation visits Cairo

A six-member U.S. Congressional delegation led by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has arrived Saturday in Cairo.

The delegation is set to meet with a number of Egyptian officials to discuss recent developments in the Middle East region.

Earlier, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met Wednesday US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington. The two discussed a number of issues, foremost among them regional development in Syria, Libya and Yemen.

In a statement issued Thursday, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abuzeid stated that the talks included joint evaluation and coordination on the situations in those countries.  Shoukry discussed with Kerry the political process in Syria and enforcing the ceasefire there, as well as ways to support the national unity government in Libya, especially in fighting terrorism.

Kerry and Shoukry also evaluated progress in Yemeni talks held under UN sponsorship.

Moreover, Kerry underlined in talks the importance of “easing restrictions on association and expression” and “allowing human rights NGOs to operate freely” in Egypt.