Hagel arrives in Egypt on ME tour

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel landed in Egypt yesterday as part of a Middle East tour designed to bolster America's alliances amid growing concern over the fallout from Syria's roiling civil war.
In his first trip to the Middle East as Pentagon chief, Hagel is promoting longstanding US military ties with traditional allies -- including Israel and Saudi Arabia -- as a way of countering Iran and deterring Islamist militants.
Hagel, who was in Riyadh on Tuesday evening to finalise a major arms sale to Saudi Arabia, travelled to Cairo to meet his counterpart, General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, and later hold discussions with President Mohamed Morsi.
For years Egypt was at the centre of America's strategic influence in the region but since the 2011 ouster of president Hosni Mubarak, the United States has had to contend with new political realities and an independent-minded government in Cairo.