CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian leaders as he continues a nine-nation Middle East tour aimed at reassuring America’s Arab partners that the Trump administration is not walking away from the region.
Amid confusion over the administration’s plans to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, Pompeo was meeting Egypt’s president and foreign minister Thursday to discuss security and economic cooperation.
He was also to deliver a speech on Washington’s broader Mideast objectives.
Pompeo arrived in Egypt after stops in Jordan and Iraq where he sought to assure leaders that withdrawing from Syria doesn’t mean the U.S. is abandoning the fight against the Islamic State group or easing pressure on Iran. From Egypt, Pompeo will travel to the Gulf Arab states to press the case.