“I have come to Cairo to reaffirm the strong support of the United States for the Egyptian people and their democratic transition,” Clinton said at a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr.

“We want to be a good partner and we want to support the democracy that has been achieved by the courage and sacrifice of the Egyptian people,” she said.

“Democracy is hard. .. It requires dialogue and compromise and real politics. We are encouraged and we want to be helpful. But we know it is not for the United States it is for the Egyptian people to decide.”

During her two-day visit the top US diplomat will also meet Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi — the country’s interim military ruler after Hosni Mubarak was ousted in an uprising last year — as well as women activists and Coptic leaders, US officials said.

Clinton steps into the political maelstrom of a complex power struggle between Mursi and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that ruled Egypt after Mubarak was toppled.