Egypt's president to visit US in September

Egypt’s president to visit US in September

Egypt president morsi has a tight window on economy. Photo: AP

"President Mursi will visit the United States on Sept. 23 after his visit to China," presidential spokesman Yasser Ali told Reuters, referring to a visit to Beijing next week.

August 23, 2012 11:43 by Reuters

Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi will visit the United States on Sept. 23, making his first trip there since taking power in June, the presidential spokesman said on Wednesday.

The United States was a close ally of Egypt under ousted President Hosni Mubarak and gives $1.3 billion in military aid a year to Egypt plus other assistance.

Long wary of Islamists, Washington opened formal talks with Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood in 2011 as the group emerged as a major player in the political scene of the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Mursi in Egypt during a visit in July.

“President Mursi will visit the United States on Sept. 23 after his visit to China,” presidential spokesman Yasser Ali told Reuters, referring to a visit to Beijing next week.

In July, U.S. President Barack Obama invited Mursi to the United States in September during the U.N. General Assembly meetings, but no date was announced.

Mursi is due to visit China on Aug. 27 and will then go to Iran to attend a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement on Aug. 30. His first official visit was to Saudi Arabia.