Hillary Clinton in Israel for talks after Egypt visit

Hillary Clinton and Shimon Peres in Jerusalem. Photo: 16 July 2012

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Israel for talks focusing on Iran, Syria, the Middle East peace process and also Egypt.

She met President Shimon Peres for an hour, ahead of talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly.

Mrs Clinton was in Egypt over the weekend, where she held talks with new Islamist President Mohammed Mursi.

The BBC’s Kim Ghattas says Mrs Clinton will share her impressions of the new Egypt with Israeli officials.

Our correspondent, who is travelling with the secretary of state, says she will tell officials in Jerusalem that Mr Mursi reiterated in private what he has said in public – that Egypt will abide by all its international agreements.

Those agreements include a peace treaty with Israel.

Israel said to be anxious about the rise of Islamists in neighbouring Egypt after the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, who was a long-time American ally.

‘Full transition’

On her trip to Cairo, Mrs Clinton met President Mursi and, separately, the head of Egypt’s top military council, Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi.

The president has been in conflict with the military council, which ruled the country after Mubarak was forced out, over parliament’s dissolution.

On Saturday, Mrs Clinton told Mr Mursi that the situation required “compromise and real politics” but also voiced support for a “full transition to civilian rule”.

The secretary of state also encouraged President Mursi to live up to promises to protect the rights of women and minorities, and to preserve the peace treaty with Israel.

In her talks with Field Marshal Tantawi on Sunday Mrs Clinton discussed the transition of power to the newly elected president and stressed the need to protect the rights of all Egyptians, US officials said.

Speaking later at the newly re-opened US consulate in Alexandria, Mrs Clinton said: “I want to be clear that the United States is not in the business, in Egypt, of choosing winners and losers, even if we could, which of course we cannot.”

Mrs Clinton also held meetings with leading women, the Coptic Christian community and young entrepreneurs in Egypt.

She said: “Democracy is not just about reflecting the will of the majority. It is also about protecting the rights of the minority.”

 

This is a copy of the full article provided by BBC

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