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Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel- Fatah al-Sisi met Monday with visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who praised the army's response to the will of the people, state-run al-Ahram Online reported.
The U.S. administration is keen to ensure a peaceful democratic transition of power with a clear roadmap in the form of elections, stressed Burns, who is the highest-level diplomat to visit Egypt since July 3, when Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was deposed by the armed forces after massive nationwide protests called for his removal.
During the meeting, which was attended by a number of senior Egyptian military commanders and U.S. ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson, Sisi affirmed that the army's role is a "national" rather than a "political" one, adding that the poor performance of Morsi led the army to support the protesters.
Also, Burns discussed with interim President Adli Mansour issues of mutual interest as well as means to further boost bilateral relations.
However, whether Washington views Morsi's overthrow as a coup, a perception that would lead to a halt of U.S. aid, was not clear.
In a swift reaction to Morsi's ouster, U.S. President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by the military move. He later ordered the defense department to review U.S. foreign assistance program to Egypt, which is about 1.5 billion dollars in aid every year.
Obama did not openly label the military procedures as "a coup," but he called on Egypt's army to transfer power to a civilian government as soon as possible, urging it to avoid arbitrary arrests of Morsi or his supporters.
In a statement on Friday, the United States called on the Egyptian military and interim leaders to release Morsi, who has been reportedly under house arrest.
