Behind the scenes of the cancellation of the Blinken and Shukri conference: Egyptian concerns over human rights questions
Cairo,
The cancellation of the press conference came after the meeting between Blinken and jurists (Facebook) full screen
Today, Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in the presence of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Chief of General Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel, and both the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, the US Ambassador to Cairo Jonathan Cohen, and the US Deputy Secretary of the Staff Thomas Sullivan, along with Barbara Lev, of the US National Security Council.
On the other hand, Egyptian diplomatic sources revealed to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that the confusion that struck the American minister's visit and led to the cancellation of the joint press conference with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry before the bilateral meeting with the Egyptian President came because of the meeting between Blinken and a number of human rights activists at the headquarters of The American Embassy in Cairo.
The sources indicated that there were Egyptian observations, for fear of press questions during the press conference by representatives of international newspapers related to the human rights situation in Egypt, prisoners and political activists.
A statement by the Egyptian Presidency said that Sisi stressed the strategy of the extended partnership between Egypt and the United States, and its pivotal role in supporting security and stability in the Middle East, and looking forward to strengthening coordination and consultation between the two sides on various political and security issues and regional issues.
Blinken affirmed his country's interest in strengthening strategic relations with Egypt, as well as intensifying coordination and joint consultation on all Middle East issues, in light of the effective political weight that Egypt enjoys in the Middle East and its regional environment, and its contribution, led by Sisi, in seeking to achieve the desired stability for all peoples of the region.
The Egyptian statement mentioned that the meeting touched on the developments of the Palestinian issue and ways to revive the peace process in the wake of recent developments in the Palestinian territories, as the US Secretary of State appreciated the strenuous Egyptian efforts in this regard to reach and work to establish a ceasefire between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
For his part, Al-Sisi praised the full US support for the aforementioned Egyptian efforts, noting that the recent developments confirm the importance of working immediately to resume direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis, with effective US involvement to bring the two sides back to the dialogue table.
Al-Sisi stressed Egypt's keenness to cooperate closely with the United States in this regard, and Egypt's steadfast position to reach a just and comprehensive solution that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people according to international references, as it was agreed upon to strengthen coordination and bilateral consultations between the two countries regarding fixing the ceasefire as well as launching The reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip based on the Egyptian initiative in this context.
The issue of combating terrorism and extremist ideology was also addressed, and Sisi affirmed the steadfast will of the Egyptian government and people to continue its relentless efforts to confront this scourge, undermine its security and intellectual danger, and consolidate the firm principles of citizenship of fraternity, coexistence and freedom of belief, stressing in this regard the importance of continued coordination and joint cooperation With the United States to support those efforts.
According to the Egyptian statement, the US Secretary of State praised the success of the decisive Egyptian efforts in this regard during the past period and the burdens it bears in combating terrorism, expressing the US administration's support for those efforts, and affirming that Egypt is a central partner in confronting the challenge of cross-border terrorism.
The meeting witnessed discussions on a number of regional files, especially the developments of the situation in Libya and the transitional phase that it is currently going through, leading to the desired electoral elections, as it was agreed on the importance of supporting that distinct political stage in the history of Libya, with the need for mercenaries and foreign armed militias to leave Libya. This will contribute to achieving the aspirations of the Libyan people, preserving the territorial integrity of Libya and the integrity of its national institutions, undermining the spread of chaos in it and blocking the way for it to become areas of influence for external forces.
The meeting also touched on the issue of the Renaissance Dam, as Sisi affirmed Egypt's adherence to its rights by reaching a fair and binding legal agreement 
that guarantees Egypt's water security through clear rules for the process of filling and operating the dam and achieves the common interests of all parties, and then the importance of the American role in particular to undertake With an influential role to solve this crisis, Blinken renewed the US administration’s commitment to making efforts to reach an agreement that preserves water and development rights for all parties.
Some issues of bilateral relations between the two countries were also addressed, as Blinken praised - according to the statement - the huge development efforts that Egypt is currently witnessing, and in this context Al-Sisi explained the state's efforts through a series of major development projects with the aim of achieving comprehensive development in all sectors and advancing all aspects of life. Living conditions for citizens, as well as all services provided by the state.