Kerry in Egypt for diplomatic visit

US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Cairo ahead of meetings with a range of Egyptian government and opposition figures to discuss developments in the fractured country. Kerry will meet President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo’s Ittihadiya presidential palace, alongside his Egyptian opposite number, Mohamed Kamel Amr. Kerry and Morsi will reportedly discuss national and regional issues, including the Syrian crisis. The US official is also scheduled to meet Egyptian Defence Minister Abdel Fatah el-Sissi and Arab League chief Nabil el-Araby. Diplomatic sources meanwhile revealed to Arabstoday that Kerry would meet with a host of civil society organisations, opposition figures and business leaders during his stay, Figures from the opposition National Salvation Front (NSF) are slated to meet the US Secretary of State, despite a Thursday announcement by Dostour Party chairman Mohammed ElBaradei that the opposition bloc would boycott talks. The US official is expected to urge NSF leaders to reconsider their boycott of upcoming parliamentary elections.