Iran nuke deal will make region safer
Kerry says in Egypt as he tries to reassure ME allies
US Secretary of State John Kerry sought to assure Middle East allies that the Iran nuclear deal would make them safer, as he began a regional tour in the Egyptian capital yesterday.
Kerry met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry to patch up troubled relations between the two countries with a pledge of support.
He later met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before flying to Qatar to meet Gulf Arab counterparts.
Egypt, and other countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia, are suspicious of Iran, which they view as bent on destabilising their countries.
"There can be absolutely no question that if the Vienna plan is fully implemented, it will make Egypt and all the countries of this region safer than they otherwise would be or were," Kerry told a joint Cairo press conference with Shoukry.
"The United States and Egypt recognise that Iran is engaged in destabilising activities in the region -- and that is why it is so important to ensure that Iran's nuclear programme remains wholly peaceful," he said.
Washington had frozen arms deliveries to Cairo following the crackdown on Islamist president Mohamed Morsi's supporters, but resumed aid in March and delivered a batch of F-16 jets to Egypt last week.
However, Kerry spoke of the need for a "balance" between fighting militants and respecting human rights in Egypt.
The United States' renewed support to Egypt is also fuelled by the rise of ISIS-affiliated militants in Sinai Peninsula.
Kerry's trip, which ends on August 8, will not include Israel, one of Washington's closest allies, which has been a fierce critic of the July 14 nuclear deal between the world powers and Iran.
In Doha, Kerry will meet his counterparts from the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.
He will seek to allay their fears about Shia Iran, following the nuclear deal signed in Vienna.
Many Gulf Arab states have said they are concerned about Iran's ambitions in the region following the pact with the United States and five other world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.