Kerry arrives for first Egypt visit since Morsi ouster

CAIRO: US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived Sunday in Cairo to push Egypt's military-installed rulers for democratic progress, on his first visit since the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi.

On the eve of the opening of Morsi's trial, Kerry landed in Cairo, an AFP correspondent said, seeking to shore up ties with a key regional ally and ensure Egypt moves ahead on plans to restore democracy just weeks after Washington suspended part of its $1.5 billion in annual aid.

US officials said Kerry -- the most senior figure of the US administration to visit since Morsi's July ouster -- would meet with Egyptian leaders including interim president Adly Mansour, foreign minister Nabil Fahmy and powerful military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

His talks would focus on how Washington wants to see a political transition which is "sustainable, inclusive and democratic," a senior State Department official told reporters.

Kerry would also carve out time during his brief six-hour visit to meet behind closed doors with members of Egyptian civil society, who are increasingly alarmed by a crackdown on protestors and the slowness of a return to democracy.

Morsi, an Islamist leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who became Egypt's first democratically elected president, was toppled by the military on July 3 after a turbulent year in power that deeply polarised Egyptians.

According to the interim government's timetable, parliamentary elections are to be held by mid-2014 followed by presidential polls. More than 1,000 people have died in a crackdown on protests by Morsi supporters since July.