SecState Kerry Visits Egypt; then Makes Surprise Landing in Baghdad

United States Secretary of State John Kerry left Egypt and made a surprise landing in Baghdad on Monday where according to State Department sources his intention was to press Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki to form a more inclusive government in order to placate the Sunni population that is rising up against the government. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Kerry would discuss “ways to confront this threat” and to quickly form a “government that represents the interests of Iraqis.” Before his unannounced trip to Iraq, Kerry became the highest-ranking Obama administration official to visit Egypt since the swearing-in of President Abdel-Fatteh Al-Sisi to replace the deposed Mohamed Morsi. The SecState reportedly raised the issues of political freedoms and human rights, but also reassured the Al-Sisi government that ten Apache attack helicopters promised to the Egyptian military would be arriving shortly. Kerry told a news conference that his talks with leaders included “the essential role of a vibrant civil society, free press, rule of law, and due process in a democracy.” US administration officials announced that the $572 million in aid to Egypt that had been frozen by Congress, mostly tied to defense contracts, was sent Cairo ten days ago. The Apaches are for use in fighting terrorists in the northern Sinai Peninsula. Kerry flew on to Amman but reportedly has no plans to return to Israel and the Palestinian territories in the aftermath of the collapse of the talks he had brokered for the previous year.