President Trump is likely to avoid a discussion on human rights violations under Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s regime when the two leaders hold their first sit-down meeting next week, according to the White House.
A senior White House official said Friday that human rights abuses are “an important issue to the United States,” but one that the administration prefers to address “in a private, more discreet way.”
“Our relationship with Egypt is complex and this meeting will cover a number of important issues,” the official said. “We are optimistic that we are heading in the right direction and President Trump is very much looking forward to the visit.”
A State Department report issued in 2015 cited several ongoing human rights problems in Egypt, including arbitrary arrests, political imprisonments, limits on religious freedom, child abuse, human trafficking, worker abuse and discrimination against women, LGBT individuals and religious minorities.
“In most cases, either the government did not comprehensively investigate human rights abuses, including most incidents of violence by security forces, or investigations resulted in acquittals, contributing to an environment of impunity,” the report stated.
The White House official would not comment on whether Trump plans to discuss Aya Hijazi, a 32-year-old American humanitarian worker who was arrested by Egyptian officials in 2014 and has yet to be released from imprisonment.
Trump views President Sisi’s visit to the White House next Monday as an opportunity for the U.S. to write a new chapter with Egypt, which has been a leading Middle East anti-terror force against the Islamic State organization.
“We anticipate security cooperation will be a central topic of discussion during President el Sisi’s visit,” the official said.
Trump will also meet with King Abdullah of Jordan and Chinese President Xi Jinping late next week.
