Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Senior US diplomat will not meet Morsi

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who is in Egypt to discuss its political crisis, has no meeting scheduled with deposed president Mohamed Morsi, the US says.

Egypt cabinet orders police to end sit-in
(File: AAP)

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who is in Egypt to discuss its political crisis, has no meeting scheduled with deposed president Mohamed Morsi, the State Department said.

"As of right now, there are no plans for him to meet with Mohamed Morsi," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters.

But she said Burns, who is the top US career diplomat, met Sunday with Khairat El-Shater, the first deputy to the supreme leader of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Burns was accompanied by the foreign ministers of regional US allies Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as by EU special representative Bernandino Leon.

Harf said the meeting was to "prevent further violence, calm tensions and facilitate an inclusive dialogue among Egyptians that can help the transition to a democratically elected civilian government."

Egypt has been shaken by sometimes deadly political violence after Egypt's military on July 3 ousted Morsi, who was the country's first democratically elected leader.

Secretary of State John Kerry last week spoke enthusiastically about the military, which he credited with "restoring democracy" by ousting the Islamist president.

He later walked back from his remarks, instead calling for calm and democratic elections.

But the United States has refused to describe Morsi's ouster by the military as a coup, a designation that would legally oblige Washington to suspend its $1.5 billion in annual aid to Egypt.

Israel has asked the United States to maintain the aid, believing that the support for the military is critical to preserving regional peace.

Morsi has not been seen in public since his overthrow. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton last week became the first foreign visitor to see Morsi since he was ousted and said that he appeared to be in good health.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world