US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held talks Monday in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the start of a Middle East tour. Tillerson landed in Cairo late Sunday and had dinner with Shoukry.
On Monday morning, the two foreign ministers met behind closed doors and then addressed reporters, and later Tillerson had talks with Sisi before heading to the airport on route to Kuwait. Tillerson's visit comes as Sisi, who has been president since 2014, looks set to be re-elected next month in polls in which he will face a single opponent.
All serious potential presidential contenders have either been jailed or withdrew, with some claiming the entire process was not conducive to free elections. Speaking about the polls due to be held March 26 - 28, Tillerson told reporters that Washington supports "a transparent credible electoral process".
"We have always advocated free, transparent, fair elections, not just in Egypt but in any country," he said in response to a question on whether the elections would be considered credible, free or fair.