|
 The White House said President Barack Obama was freeing up the
equipment and making other changes to military ties with
Washington's long-time ally to support U.S. interests while
encouraging Egypt's political reforms.
Obama directed the release of 12 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft, 20
Boeing Harpoon missiles, and up to 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits made by
General Dynamics, National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette
Meehan said.
This was "in the interest of U.S. national security," she said.
The decision was announced after a telephone call between Obama and
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in which they also discussed
the turmoil that is gripping the region.
Egypt, which has worked with the United States on Middle East peace
moves, is emerging from a period of domestic upheaval and is engaged
in several regional conflicts, including in neighboring Libya, and
fighting Islamic State militants at home.
Sisi is leading an initiative to form a unified Arab military force
in the region to confront Iranian-allied rebels in Yemen, and other
threats.
The White House said Washington would "modernize" the way it
provided military aid to Cairo to focus on counter terrorism, border
security, maritime security and Sinai security, where Islamic State
militants have been active.
"In this way, we will ensure that U.S. funding is being used to
promote shared objectives in the region, including a secure and
stable Egypt and the defeat of terrorist organizations," Meehan said
in a statement.
Obama told Sisi he would continue to ask the U.S. Congress for $1.3
billion in military aid for Egypt per year, but said the United
States would stop allowing Egypt to buy equipment on credit starting
in fiscal year 2018, the White House said.
The deals for the released equipment were paid for long ago, so were
not expected to have much impact on the companies.
GROWING ANIMOSITY
Egypt has been the second-largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid
since its peace treaty with Israel in 1979.
Aid was frozen after the Egyptian army overthrew former President
Mohamed Mursi. Obama resisted calling that a coup because it would
have resulted in aid being cut completely.
[to top of second column]
|
Some restrictions were relaxed last year, but Congress made aid
dependent on the U.S. Secretary of State certifying that Egypt was
taking certain steps to govern democratically, a delay which angered
the Egyptian government.
"The animosity had been growing because of an Egyptian sense that
they were at a point of mortal peril and we were engaged in academic
games about modifying assistance programs," said Jon Alterman,
director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies think tank in Washington.
Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to tell Congress within
the next two weeks that the aid is in the U.S. national security
interest, even though he will not make the "democracy
certification," a senior administration official said.
Representative Mac Thornberry, the Republican chairman of the House
of Representatives Armed Services Committee, welcomed the decision.
"We encourage the government of Egypt to continue its democratic
process. But Egypt is also a strong regional ally. Maintaining that
relationship must be a priority for the U.S.,” Thornberry said in a
statement.
Rights activists expressed concern. Resuming full military aid would
send a dangerous message that human rights were not a priority
concern for the United States, said Neil Hicks, a director at Human
Rights First.
(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed, Andrea Shalal, Patricia
Zengerle, Phil Stewart and Julia Edwards; Editing by David Storey
and Christian Plumb)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
