U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in Cairo on Sunday a day after he said it is vital Egypt revive its economy.
The country’s foreign currency reserves have dived to little more than a third of levels before the 2011 revolution and the budget deficit is soaring as a sliding Egyptian pound pushes up the cost of state subsidies for imported fuel and food.
As Kerry tried to leave the country for his next stop on his Middle East tour, hundreds of Egyptian football fans briefly blocked a main road to Cairo’s international airport delaying his flight.
Kerry had been scheduled to leave at around 1400 GMT.
An airport official said police deployed armored vehicles to prevent the fans from getting closer to the airport. The road has now been reopened, official MENA news agency reported.
The Al-Ahly fans blocked the road in anticipation of a court ruling this weekend in which rival supporters in Port Said face sentencing over a deadly post-match riot.
Al-Ahly fans want them convicted.