Congress warns Egypt its annual military aid of $1.3 billion is at risk

Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Congress has relayed another warning to Egypt that its
policy endangers U.S. military assistance.

The Senate has sent a letter to the Egyptian military regime that cited
harassment of non-governmental organizations. In a letter to Egyptian Field
Marshal Hussein Tantawi, 11 senators raised the prospect of a cutoff of U.S.
aid to Cairo.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

“Continued restriction of their activities and harassment of
international and Egyptian staff will be looked at with great concern, particularly in light of Egypt’s considerable U.S. assistance,” the senators said in the letter, dated Jan. 18.

On Jan. 28, an Egyptian military delegation arrived in the United States for meetings with Congress and the administration of President Barack Obama. Officials said the Egyptians would be warned that Cairo’s military regime was endangering the annual $1.3 billion in U.S. military assistance for fiscal 2012.

“Those are decisions that are going to have to be made later on in the winter and spring,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “These are points that we’re obviously making clear to the Egyptians.”

Obama, who discussed the issue with Tantawi on Jan. 20, is said to have
been concerned over an Egyptian crackdown on NGOs, many of them funded by
Washington. In the latest development, the military regime imposed a travel
ban on six NGO staffers, all of them Americans and including the son of U.S.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

“The assertions of the Egyptian government in these cases are that they
are subject to a judicial process which is not complete,” Ms. Nuland said.
“Our message back is, ‘Complete these formalities and let our people travel
as soon as possible.’ ”

Officials said the talks with the Egyptian delegation could determine
U.S. military assistance to Cairo in 2013 as well as a request of $3.2
billion from the International Monetary Fund. The administration was
expected to present its 2013 budget on Feb. 13.

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