In what seemed to be a diplomatic snub, | In diplomacy, if it seems to be, it most certainly is -- in spades. But as these diplomats were not supportive of the Mamluk before the election (cf. President Barack Hussein Obama), will he care after? |
A senior State Department official will represent the United States at Sunday's inauguration of the new Egyptian president, but in a sign of U.S. unease, no cabinet-level ministers will attend, Agence France-Presse reported. The U.S. delegation to the swearing-in of Sisi will be led by State Department counselor Thomas Shannon, a senior advisor to Secretary of State John Kerry, a U.S. official said Thursday.
"The United States looks forward to working with president-elect al-Sisi in Egypt and his government to advance our strategic partnership and many shared interests," AFP quoted State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf as saying. But she acknowledged to reporters that the U.S. administration was not yet "satisfied" with the progress made in returning to democracy in Egypt.
Meanwhile, a Western diplomatic source said European states would be represented by ambassadors, Reuters reported.
"It was a collective decision," said the source, adding that the move highlighted concerns over the political transition.