Kerry Expresses Worry about Egypt, Hopes Rallies Not Engage in Violence

U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry expressed worry about Egypt on Wednesday.

“It’s fair to say that everybody is very concerned,” Kerry told reporters in Kuwait. “Our hopes are that all parties, everybody, whether it’s the demonstrations on Friday or demonstrations on Sunday, will all engage in peaceful, free expression of their points of view but not engage in violence,” he added.

The United States has been mired in diplomatic challenges in Egypt since the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak. It has struggled to balance support for the nascent democracy that brought Morsi to power while simultaneously reassuring Egypt’s neighbor Israel, as well as Egyptian liberals and Christians who say they have been marginalized by the country’s new Islamist leadership.