Macron holds surprise talks with Egypt's Sisi, meets top clerics

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday held a surprise second meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after talks with the country's top clerics, ending a three-day visit aimed at boosting ties while raising human rights concerns.

Before travelling on to Cyprus for a summit of southern EU countries, Macron and Sisi held an unscheduled 45-minute meeting at Cairo airport.

Earlier, Macron met with Pope Tawadros II at St. Mark's Cathedral, seat of Egypt's ancient Coptic Orthodox Church. They both stressed the need for "dialogue between religions".

"I decided that a new conference will be held in Paris to see how to act more effectively," he said, without giving details.

A diplomatic source said the French capital would host a forum on religious minorities in the Middle East, but without giving a date.

Macron visited the church adjacent to the cathedral that was the site of a December 2016 jihadist attack which killed 29 people.

He also met in Cairo with Ahmed ...