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CAIRO (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has acknowledged "difficult challenges" and "turbulent years" in Egypt and in relations between Egypt and the U.S., but urged Egyptians to continue their "march to democracy."
In his first trip to Egypt since the military ousted the country's democratically elected president in July, Kerry said the US is a friend and partner to the Egyptian people and wants to contribute to the country's success.
Kerry made his comments Sunday in a news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy in Cairo shortly after the leaders met following the secretary of state's arrival on an unannounced trip to Egypt.
The ouster prompted the U.S. to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Egypt, one of the strongest US allies in the Mideast.
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