Egypt Warns U.S. On Attaching Conditions To Military Aid

[Purveyor]

Source: washingtonpost

By Mary Beth Sheridan,

A new source of friction has emerged between the United States and one of its top Mideast allies, with Egyptian officials expressing alarm about a move by the U.S. Senate to link military aid to Egypt’s performance as a democracy.

The Senate bill would withhold up to $1.3 billion in U.S. aid for 2012 until the secretary of state certifies that Egypt has held democratic elections and is protecting freedoms of the press, expression and association.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr warned about the consequences of such a move during meetings this week with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and White House officials.

“We called on them to intervene,” said a senior Egyptian official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic exchanges. Those U.S. officials “know the value of the partnership between the United States and Egypt and how much such conditions and language would be detrimental to future cooperation.”

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Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/egypt-warns-us-on-attaching-conditions-to-military-aid/2011/09/29/gIQAhX3K8K_story.html

[bongbong]

1. Eliminate the Middle Man

Egypt could save some time & probably get more aid if they skipped the middle man and just got checks from China.

[Seedersandleechers]

2. 20 countries benefit from US aid money

http://www.usaid.gov/policy/budget/money/



I thought it would be more. Don't we give aid to Germany since we still have a base their?

[quakerboy]

5. "top 20"

And I'm pretty sure that does not include military, seeing as by that list we provide nearly as much to Palestine as to Israel, and Iraq is all the way down at 16.

[scentopine]

3. We should link our own politicians pay based on performance of democracy, if we did

Congress wouldn't be so quick to cut food stamps.

[provis99]

4. too bad we don't do the same for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

but those two have oil, while Egypt doesn't.

[No Elephants]

9. And, inasmuch as they do have oil, why do we aid them at all?

[sarcasmo]

6. Plenty of cash for military aid but no cash for social programs, USA, USA, USA.

[unkachuck]

7. "...withhold up to $1.3 billion in U.S. aid..."

"...until the secretary of state certifies that Egypt has held democratic elections..."

....we shouldn't needlessly piss-off the Egyptian leadership with linkage and a time-line, but that doesn't sound like an unreasonable request considering most Egyptians want to have and become a democracy....

[No Elephants]

10. Most Egyptians are not running Egypt now, though. The same military

that kept the Mubaraks and their plundering safe from all other Egyptians is STILL running Egypt.

We have yet to see how the Arab Spring will ultimate turn out, be it Libya or Egypt or anywhere else.

That's why I was never on those threads cheering, only posting, "wait."

I have not given up hope. Egypt may yet become a true democracy. I am not wildly optimistic, though, either, especially after this response. IOW, I am still waiting to see what will really happen.

[buckrogers1965]

8. Let's cut off all military aid to every country.

Humanitarian aid I can understand, but we shouldn't give any money to any country to pay for their military.

[No Elephants]

11. This should be interesting to watch unfold.

"Egypt has been the second-largest recipient of U.S. aid since it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, and the military assistance has been viewed as near-sacrosanct. But the Senate move shows the potential changes afoot in the relationship in the wake of the February uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

Clinton assured Amr that the administration opposes the Senate conditions, which the Appropriations Committee approved this month. "



Versus:

"Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), head of the Appropriations subcommittee on foreign aid, said that the Egyptian people and their military leaders had agreed on the need for democracy.

“The days of blank checks are over, and it is in the mutual interest of the Egyptian people and the United States to reinforce these rights as conditions for our aid,” he said in a statement."