Kerry: Iran deal will make Egypt, region, safer

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says a nuclear deal with Iran will bring greater security to the Middle East, during strategic dialogue talks in Cairo.

A nuclear deal agreed to last month with Iran will bring greater security to the Middle East region, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday during a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shourky, in what was the first strategic dialogue between the U.S. and Egypt since 2009. Kerry also said the U.S. and Egypt are returning to a “stronger base” in bilateral ties despite tensions and human rights concerns, adding that he looked forward to seeing parliamentary elections in Egypt soon. Egypt has been without a parliament since June 2012, when a court dissolved the democratically elected main chamber, reversing a major accomplishment of the 2011 uprising that autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Despite Washington’s concerns about Egypt’s lagging democratic reforms, Cairo remains one of its closest security allies in the Middle East, playing an increasingly crucial role amid unprecedented turmoil in the region.

Source: Reuters