Lt. Col. Carla Gleason provided the following readout:
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John C. Rood visited Egypt Sunday, November 24, where he met with Egyptian Minister of Defense Mohamed Zaki and other senior leaders.
In Cairo, Under Secretary Rood met with Minister Zaki to reaffirm the strategic relationship between the United States and Egypt. The leaders discussed the deepened military cooperation over the last several years and Egypt's counterterrorism fight in the Sinai. The leaders committed to further strengthening the defense partnership. Under Secretary Rood thanked Minister Zaki for his efforts to energize the bilateral relationship and for Egypt's role in countering transnational security threats.
Under Secretary Rood also met with Director of Intelligence Maj. Gen. Khalid Megawir to discuss a broad range of defense issues, including Iran, the situation in Libya and counterterrorism cooperation.
While in Egypt, Under Secretary Rood also traveled to the Sinai, where he visited the Multinational Forces and Observers led by MFO Force Commander Australian Maj. Gen. Simon Stuart and U.S. Task Force Sinai Commander Col. Robert Duchaine. Mr. Rood praised the multinational troops for their important role in maintaining the Treaty of Peace and facilitating Israeli-Egyptian relations.