JOHN KERRY VISITING EGYPT AT STRATEGIC DIALOGUE BETWEEN US & EGYPT ON AUGUST 2

USPA NEWS - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, joined by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, addresses reporters during a news conference following a series of security and economic meetings during a Strategic Dialogue between the United States and Egypt in Cairo, Egypt, on August 2, 2015.

SECRETARY KERRY WELCOMED BY SAMEH SHOUKRY EGYPTIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER Secretary Kerry, Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry Address Reporters During News Conference Following U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue in Cairo. Here is an excerpt of what John Kerry stated at the Press Conference. “Well, thank you, Sameh. Good morning, everybody. I can say for myself I am really delighted to be back here in Cairo, and very happy to be here with Ambassador Steve Beecroft, who is doing a great job here, and with a strong delegation from the United States to pick up where we left off. And we are happy to be re-engaging and in this dialogue. Said Secretary Kerry in Cairo. I want to thank you, Sameh, I want to thank President al-Sisi for bringing our two delegations together today. I think what you have just articulated about the importance of Egypt and the importance of the relationship can´t be understated. Egypt has long played a pivotal role in the region and in world affairs, and we have great confidence, I assure you, that that´s part of the foundation on which we will build the future. We have confidence in Egypt, and it´s important to be beginning to rebuild elements of our relationship based on this Strategic Dialogue.“ Said John Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and members of his delegation sit across from Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and their counterparts at the outset of a series of security and economic meetings during a Strategic Dialogue between the United States and Egypt in Cairo, Egypt, on August 2, 2015.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DAEESH (ISIL) IS DEEPLY FOCUSED IN THE AGENDA------------------------------------------------------------ John Kerry recalled that : As a Senator and as Secretary of State I´ve been to Cairo many times in many different circumstances, but my message has always been the same: The American people are committed to the security and to the economic well-being of the Egyptian people, guided by the vibrancy of your own civil society, your politics, your free and fair democratic process.“ Daeesh is the key problem and the central subject of concern from both sides for turning points of collaboration as part of this strategic dialogue. Egypt is a country of vital geo-strategic position in the Middle East conflict issues. “The agenda for our delegations today is very broad. It ought to be, it includes the threat posed by Daeesh, which is serious. Just two days ago, General Allen met in Canada with 22 nations. We continue to be deeply focused on Daeesh, and we believe we´re making progress. In the last few days ““ and this is something I know you will want to talk about -- Turkey has come to the table. I know there are always concerns about what that means, but I can assure you the activities are clear and delineated, and we can discuss that in the course of the morning. It is vital for us to focus on the question of all violent extremist groups, because it goes to the very question of the civility of the Middle East.“ Said Secretary Kerry.

FIGHTING DAEESH TOGETHER BY INTENSIFYING SECURITY MEASURES ------------------------------------------------ The armament is a defence in areas at high risk whose geopolitical position implies that military training must be intensified. The Secretary of State proposes cooperation means between the US and Egypt to better secure the border areas. “It is because of our commitment to Egypt´s security and our common fight against violent extremism and terrorists that over the last year alone ““ and I have a long list here, which I will share with the Foreign Minister of additional items that we are proposing for security and economic assistance to Egypt. But that is the reason that we have, over the last year, provided F-16s, Apache helicopters, Fast Missile Craft, armoured vehicles, and other weapons systems. We will continue to provide robust training to the Egyptian military, as the military seeks it and desires it, in an effort to build capacity, and also to meet the highest expectations of your military for its professionalism. And today we will offer new suggestions about how to expand our cooperation in countering terrorism and enhancing border security. The borders are increasingly fragile between the country risk of the Near and Middle East area, hence the need to intensify high vigilance against terrorism and improving the security of border areas, in particular. “Now, we all know that defeating terrorism requires a long-term strategy. Border security and law enforcement actions are a significant part of the equation, but the even the larger imperative is to persuade and prevent young people from turning to terror in the first place. Otherwise, no matter how many terrorists we bring to justice, those groups will replenish their ranks and we will not be safer. We will be involved in a round robin, circular, repetitive process.“ Said Secretary Kerry.

OHN KERRY IS CONFIDENT ABOUT THE PRODUCTIVE SESSION OF STRATEGIC DIALOGUE “So, in closing, Sameh, let me just say that we have a good opportunity this morning in this dialogue to thresh out some of these things. I really want to thank you again for hosting this dialogue. And my apologies that it had to be moved, inevitably, but I´m confident we can get on a schedule that keeps us, in an ongoing way, engaged in this dialogue. Our delegations, I know, are very eager to get started. And I am really confident that today is going to be a very constructive, very productive session. It´s going to help us build this relationship well into the future. The friendship between our countries is not based on some kind of perfect agreement. It´s based on intense awareness of our shared interests in areas such as regional stability and counterterrorism. And, as is usually the case when representatives of the United States and Egypt get together, we always have a lot to talk about. So I am very pleased to return the floor to you, Sameh, and I look forward to a very productive session today. Thank you.“ Concluded US secretary John Kerry