Kerry meets Arab League chief to discuss fight against IS

US Secretary of State John Kerry met on Saturday with the head of the Arab League, Nabil al-Araby, to discuss the situation in Iraq and Syria and the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants.

State-owned EgyNews reported that a source at the Arab League said officials had discussed the results of Jeddah’s anti- terrorism conference, held on Thursday September 11, which Araby did not participate in.

Araby said during a presser with his counterpart, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, on Saturday, that his discussions with Kerry were focused on the fight against terrorism, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Libyan crisis. He reportedly explained to US officials that Egypt is ready to face all of the current challenges in the region including terrorism.

The visit is part of a US campaign to form a broad coalition to combat the threat of IS militants. Kerry has already enlisted the support of 10 Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Shouky commented on Thursday, during the Jeddah conference, that Egypt is not likely to participate in the US alliance against the IS. He said it doesn’t make sense for the nation to have access to international resources to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, when it is prevented from accessing these resources to internally fight a similar enemy.

According to privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm, Kerry said on Saturday that Egypt’s battle against terrorism has already made it part of the fight.

The US official added that Washington would deliver 10 Apaches to Cairo in support of the nation's battle against terrorism.  

Obama declared a new military campaign against the IS in the context of a global fight against Islamist radicals in the region beyond Syria and Iraq. 

Kerry is expected to meet with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during his visit to discuss the issue further.