Senior US diplomat Burns due in Cairo

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns will arrive in Cairo on Friday, in a surprise visit with a number of his assistants. The visit is the second of its kind since the exclusion of Egypt's former leader Mohammed Morsi from power on July 3. The US official met with Egypt's temporary President Adly Mansour and Egypt's Vice President for International Relations Mohamed ElBaradei during his first visit to Egypt in July. He also met with a number of officials, including Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi and Egypt's Minister of Defence Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in addition to a number of activists. The visit is aimed to express US support for the Egyptian people and to limit the violent actions witnessed in the country. Spokesman, Badr Abdelatty, said Burns will arrive on Friday evening and meet Egypt's interim foreign minister, Nabil Fahmy, on Saturday. He said it was not known whether Burns would also hold talks with al-Sisi, the man who overthrew Morsi.