Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Congress has blocked a U.S. decision to release hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Egypt.

A leading senator has placed a hold on $650 million of U.S. military aid to Egypt. Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversee foreign aid appropriations, said the military-backed regime in Cairo has failed to improve its human rights record.

“I am not prepared to sign off on the delivery of additional aid for the
Egyptian military,” Leahy said.

In a speech on the Senate floor on April 29, Leahy termed Egypt a
“dictatorship run amok.” He cited an Egyptian court ruling that sentenced
nearly 700 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death.

In late April, the administration of President Barack Obama decided to
release the $650 million in U.S. aid frozen in 2013. The administration also
said Washington would deliver 10 AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters,
suspended since July 2013.

“I am not prepared to do that until we see convincing evidence the
government is committed to the rule of law,” Leahy said. “I do not think the
taxpayers of this country would condone that, and neither do I.”

Leahy’s announcement, which came during the visit of Egyptian Foreign
Minister Nabil Fahmy, drew support from both Democrats and Republicans. They
included members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who urged a delay
in unfreezing funds until after Egyptian presidential elections.

“The upcoming presidential elections will be a litmus test for Egypt’s
transition and will give us an opportunity to reassess our aid package,”
said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs’
panel on the Middle East.

For its part, the administration has sought to avoid a clash with Leahy.
The State Department, which led the decision on renewing U.S. aid, pledged
to work with Congress.

“The reason we were able to grant these certifications is because it was
allowed for in the appropriations bill,” State Department spokeswoman Jen
Psaki said. “But Congress certainly has a powerful role to play in
determining whether this funding moves forward.”

  AH-64D Apache Longbow, Democrat senator blocks aid for Egypt’s ‘dictatorship run amok’, Muslim Brotherhood, Nabil Fahmy, Sen. Patrick Leahy