Morsi visits United States for first time since election

Ahram Online , Monday 24 Sep 2012

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi departs for US on Monday to take part in UN General Assembly; he will be first Egyptian leader to address session in over a decade

Morsi
President Mohamed Morsi (Photo: Reuters)

President Mohamed Morsi has embarked on his first trip to the United States since his election in June to take part in the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

On Monday, Morsi will meet five senior US officials and visit the Egyptian headquarters at the UN. He will also be interviewed by BBC America and attend a meeting with religious leaders to discuss how to improve inter-religious dialogue.

On Tuesday, Morsi will attend the morning session of the General Assembly, which will be followed by a lunch meeting with a number of state heads. He will also attend the assembly's evening session and meet with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

Morsi will address the assembly on Wednesday at 9am, marking the first time in over a decade that an Egyptian head of state has delivered a speech at the event.

On the final event of his trip, Morsi will on Wednesday meet with representatives of New York's Egyptian community.  

Morsi's visit to the US comes during a sensitive period in Egypt-US relations due to recent violent clashes at the US embassy in Cairo following the release of an anti-Islam film.

Morsi will meet a number of heads of state in New York, including Britain's David Cameron, but not US President Barack Obama.

Short link: