Egyptian El-Sisi Meets With US Congress Delegation

Armed forces chief Field Marshall Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Tuesday with a delegation from the United States Congress led by Representative Mike Rogers, Al-Ahram Arabic reported.

The discussions covered matters of mutual interest between the two countries, as well as regional and international issues.

Rep. Rogers is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and has been supportive of the Egyptian military in the past, especially after the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi on 3 July.

The ouster caused the US to suspend part of its military aid to Egypt.

Rogers said on CNN’s State of the Union on 7 July that “[The US] should continue to support the military, the one stabilising force that can temper down the political feuding that you’re seeing going on now.”

US aid to Egypt was fully restored in a congressional bill in January.

The delegation’s visit comes a few days after a visit by El-Sisi to Russia to negotiate an arms deal.

El-Sisi dubbed the two-day visit a new start to military cooperation between the two countries.

Before the new Egyptian-Russian deal, the US was the main supplier of weapons to the Egyptian military.

Source : Ahram online