Egypt's foreign minister Nabil Fahmy landed in San Francisco on Thursday to kick off his multi-day visit to the United Stated to hold talks on mutual ties and regional issues, the foreign ministry has said. The senior diplomat is due to visit Washington, DC and San Francisco to hold talks on mutual ties and regional issues with his counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry as well as other senior officials in the Obama administration, the ministry said earlier. Fahmy on Thursday held discussions with US communication and investment pundits and sat with members of the Egyptian community in San Francisco, official foreign ministry spokesperson Badr Abdel Atti said in a statement on Friday. Earlier this week, Secretary Kerry met in Washington with Egypt's intelligence chief, Mohamed Farid El-Tohamy, and is scheduled to meet on April 29 with Fahmy. The visit comes days after the US stated it would deliver ten Apache attack helicopters to Egypt to help the government in counterterrorism operations in the Sinai Peninsula, easing a partial aid suspension following the ouster of Morsi and a violent crackdown on his supporters. Washington also said an additional $650 billion in funding would be released upon congressional approval that Egypt is sustaining its strategic relationship with the US and upholding its obligations under the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, the state department has said. The US withheld a large chunk of its $1.3 military aid to Egypt last October citing displeasure with Egypt's violent measures in dealing with dissent. Washington has however since treaded lightly when it comes to calling Morsi's removal a coup in order to maintain its strategic ties with its key Middle East ally. Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president was deposed last July on the back of mass protests against his troubled year in power. Source : Ahram online
