Egypt leader, Biden adviser hold talks on regional tensions

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser has held talks with Egypt’s president that focused on regional tensions and the ties between Washington and its Mideast ally

CAIRO -- President Joe Biden’s national security adviser held talks Wednesday with Egypt’s president that focused on regional tensions and the ties between Washington and its Mideast ally, the Egyptian leader’s office said.

The meeting in Cairo with Jake Sullivan came as the Biden administration presses Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's government to stop his crackdown on dissent. The U.S. announced earlier this month it would withhold $130 million in military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns.

The two sides discussed Egypt’s human rights strategy, and officials from the U.S. delegation highlighted the importance the White House sees of the el-Sissi government improving its record on the matter, according to a senior Biden administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry attended the talks, which came after Sullivan paid visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for talks focused on finding an end to the war in Yemen.