Clinton in Israel for Talks on Mideast Upheaval

Posted July 15th, 2012 at 9:05 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Tel Aviv for talks likely to focus on the stalled Mideast peace process and political upheaval in places like Syria and Egypt.

Clinton will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also will go to the West Bank for talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

The U.S. secretary of state arrived in Israel Sunday after spending two days in Egypt, pledging U.S. economic aid to its struggling young government.

Egyptian military chief Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi told Clinton that reviving the economy is his country's priority. Clinton stressed the importance of protecting the rights of all Egyptians, including women and religious minorities.

She met Saturday with newly elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, pledging up to $1 billion in debt relief along with help for small businesses and private sector loans.

Clinton did not publicly take sides in the power struggle between President Morsi and the military. Mr. Morsi defied military chiefs last week and reconvened parliament even after the Supreme Court ordered it to disband because of election problems.