Kerry urges political participation, compromise in Egypt
Authors: Ramadan Al Fatash, Nehal El-Sherif
02.03.2013
Cairo (dpa) - US Secretary of State John Kerry called Saturday for political participation and compromise between the Islamist-led government and the secular-dominated opposition, which is boycotting the country's upcoming parliamentary election.
Kerry arrived in Cairo on a two-day visit as part of the Middle East leg of his first trip abroad. The visit comes as Egypt sees a widening rift between its Islamist president Mohammed Morsi and the mostly secular opposition.
Two leading members of the opposition, Mohamed ElBaradei and Hamdeen Sabahi, have turned down invitations for talks with Washington's new top diplomat to protest what they say is its interference in Egyptian affairs.
However, Kerry met with former presidential candidate Amr Moussa and the head of Ghad al-Thawra Party Ayman Nour, as well as business leaders.
Moussa, ElBaradei and Sabahi are founders of Egypt's largest opposition coalition, The National Salvation Front, which said it will boycott the elections, due to start on April 22.
"I listened carefully to their views about how to strengthen Egypt's democracy, economy and security and I conveyed to them a very simple message," Kerry said in a joint press conference with his counterpart Mohamed Kamel Amr.
"The best way to ensure human rights and strong political checks and balances in any democracy, in Egypt's just like in the US, is through the broadest possible political and economic participation," he said.
"There are many ways to demonstrate that activity, you can do it in protest or you can do it in participating. They are all parts of the mosaic of democracy, but we believe that being active, engaging in peaceful participation is essential to building strong communities and a healthy democracy," he added.
The US has previously called on the opposition to reverse its decision to boycott the parliamentary election over what it says is a lack of transparency.
The opposition accuse Morsi of tightening the Muslim Brotherhood's hold on power and failing to revitalize the ailing economy, while his Islamist allies accuse the opposition of wanting to oust Morsi, Egypt’s first civilian president.
Kerry urged all parties to "make meaningful compromises on the issues that matter most to all of the Egyptian people" in order to achieve their aspirations for democracy and opportunities.
Dozens of protesters chanted "Kerry out" as they gathered outside the Foreign Ministry building to protest what they described as Washington's support for Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group.
"We came here as friends of the Egyptian people, not for one government or one party," he said. "We are not here to interfere, we are here to listen."
Kerry and Amr discussed the Middle East peace process and the Syrian conflict.
He also met with Arab League chief Nabil al-Araby for talks on the Syrian conflict, which has claimed the lives of 70,000 people.
The US diplomat said his talks with Morsi, expected on Sunday, will tackle economic assistance and growing Egyptian exports to the United States.
Since he took office in July, Morsi has been struggling to revive Egypt's faltering economy. The political rift and the continued deadly unrest across the country have affected foreign investments and tourism, two of the most important sectors in the Egyptian economy.
Washington was a key ally of the regime of Hosny Mubarak, who was toppled in an uprising two years ago after three decades in power.
Kerry was in Turkey on Friday after visiting several European capitals. He is to travel from Egypt to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates before concluding his tour in Qatar.
