CAIRO: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was expected to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt yesterday, diplomatic sources said, as he started a tour of the Middle East, reports AFP.

Tillerson landed in Cairo late Sunday and had dinner with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

The envoy was set to talk with Sisi in the early afternoon, after seeing staff of the US embassy in Cairo and a second meeting with Shoukry.

A US State Department official said Tillerson’s talks in Egypt would focus on “regional issues of mutual concern such as Libya and Syria, our shared commitment to fighting terrorism”, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Concerns about human rights and civil society are a topic of continuing conversation with the Egyptians,” the official added, expecting the topic to be addressed during talks.  Tillerson’s visit comes as Sisi, who has been president since 2014, looks set to be re-elected next month in polls in which he will face a single opponent.