ET: CAIRO: A senior US official flew into Cairo early Monday, hours after Egypt’s prosecutor ordered the freezing of assets belonging to 14 top Islamic leaders.
Under Secretary of State Bill Burns, the first US official to visit since the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, is scheduled to stay there until Tuesday, the US State Department said.
Burns will push for “an end to all violence and a transition leading to an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government” at meetings in Cairo with various parties, it said.
His visit comes as the new regime applies increasing pressure on Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, already in disarray with key figures detained, on the run or keeping a low profile.
It also comes amid international concern over the detention of Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, who was toppled in a popularly backed military coup on July 3.
The US administration has still not decided whether Morsi was the victim of a coup, which would legally require a freeze on some $1.5 billion in vital military and economic US assistance to Cairo.
Categories: Africa