Kerry urges Egypt for political consensus to resolve economic crisis

CAIRO (Xinhua) - US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is currently on a two-day visit to Egypt, urged Saturday evening the Egyptian political leaders to reach consensus as an important step for resolving the country's economic crisis.

"There must be a willingness on all sides to make meaningful compromises on the issues that matter most to the Egyptian people," Kerry told reporters after initial talks with Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr in Cairo.

"We do believe that in this moment of economic challenge that it is important for the Egyptian people to come together around the economic choices and to find some common ground in making those choices."

"It is paramount, essential, urgent that the Egyptian economy gets stronger, that it gets back on its feet," Kerry said, adding that "it is clear to us that the IMF arrangement needs to be reached. So we need to give the marketplace the confidence."

Kerry stressed that Egypt's serious economic challenge requires all Egyptians to unite around economic choices and to find some compromises and common ground to resolve ongoing issues.

He added that it is urgent that the Egyptian economy gets stronger and people have jobs and opportunities, and the energy of this country focuses on its future.