Posted on 03/04/2008 5:27:06 AM PST by SJackson
CAIRO (Reuters) - The Bush administration has released $100 million in military aid to Egypt after telling the U.S. Congress the money was necessary for national security reasons.
At a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit in Cairo, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters she had waived the congressional restrictions that had withheld the amount.
"I have exercised on behalf of the United States the waiver in terms of Egyptian assistance ... The Bush administration sought to have that flexibility. We believe that this relationship with Egypt is an important one and that the waiver was the right thing to do," Rice said.
Congress had withheld the sum until the administration certified Egypt had done enough to protect the independence of the judiciary, curb police abuses and put a stop to arms smuggling from Egypt to Gaza.
But it also gave the administration an option to waive the restrictions "in the national security interest of the United States".
Hamas took control of Gaza in June, prompting Israel to tighten its military and economic cordon around the coastal territory. But Israel said in December that Egypt was doing a "terrible" job of stopping arms smuggling to Gaza through the Sinai peninsula.
In turn Egypt accused Israel of encouraging pro-Israeli groups in the United States to lobby members of the U.S. Congress to the detriment of Egyptian interests, specifically by persuading Congress to withhold the aid.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak accused Israel of fabricating evidence to implicate Egypt and Aboul Gheit threatened diplomatic reprisals against the Jewish state.
Rice added: "I have said to the foreign minister even today the importance the United States attaches to democracy and reform in Egypt and the importance that we attach to progress on those fronts. But yes, I have exercised the waiver."
The U.S. administration has gradually softened criticism of Egypt's rights record in the years since 2005, and analysts say an easing of U.S. public pressure on Egypt has given the state a freer hand over the past year to act against critics in the run-up to an eventual transition of power from Mubarak who, at 79, has been in power for 26 years.
Rice arrived in the region on Tuesday to try to persuade Israelis and Palestinians to quickly resume U.S.-sponsored peace talks suspended over a recent Israeli offensive.
CAIRO - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today that she had released 100 million dollars in aid to Egypt that had been made conditional on doing more to prevent arms smuggling into the Gaza Strip.
Rice told journalists in Cairo that she had exercised her waiver right to free up the funds which the US Congress froze in January pending action on smuggling tunnels and progress with Egyptian democratic reform.
"I’ve exercised the waiver," she told a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit. "We believe that this relationship with Egypt is an important one and that the waiver was the right thing to do."
She made no mention of what progress Egypt had made but stressed "the importance that the United States attaches to democracy and reform in Egypt and the importance that we attach to progress on those fronts."
The aid freeze created a furore in Egypt, with Abul Gheit repeatedly rejecting conditions being placed on US aid. Egypt is the second largest recipient of US aid, after Israel, receiving around two billion dollars a year.
Egypt frequently announces the discovery of arms caches in the Sinai peninsula as well as tunnels used by the militants.
However, the Israelis have frequently complained that Egypt is failing to do enough to stem the flow of arms into the impoverished coastal strip which has been controlled by Islamist group Hamas since June 2007.
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
----------------------------
I'm not sure why aiding terrorists in Gaza is in our national security interest, but it's only money, and be mean to hold any conditions over Egypt's head, the way Cogress did.
I am really sick and tired of this Bush regime giving away my money to the use and benefit of Mohammedans. Sadly, with McCain we can only expect more of the same, likely with Obama too, though I suppose that remains to be seen. An argument can be made that the Mohammedans haven’t bought and paid for Obama yet like they have with McCain. Of course, it can also perhaps be argued that given his past, Obama will support Mohammedanism out of conviction, the same way McCain does communism in Indo-China, for love not money.
Borrow from communists to give to muslims, again.
This crap is sick. By proxy we are supporting the terrorists by paying the government taxes which they then hand over to terrorists. Lovely... /sarc
What have the Egyptians done for us lately ? Ever ?
They are probably laughing at us right now saying, “Stupid Americans, giving us money to use as weapons against Israel in the next war to wipe it off the map.”
That cannot be said too often or too loudly.
We just borrowed another $100,000.00 from China to give to Egypt and we will let our children and grandchildren worry about how to pay it back.
That cannot be said too often or too loudly.
We just borrowed another $100,000.00 from China to give to Egypt and we will let our children and grandchildren worry about how to pay it back.
Well, I guess it can be said too often. Sorry about the double post.
Damn....and add 3 zeroes!
“President Bush would have to repudiate a treaty to stop the aid, wouldn’t he?”
Apparently not according to this article.
Let me help you there....
The Egyptians gave us bases in Egypt during the invasions of Iraq. Both times.
They gave us some bases during the rescue attempts of American Hostages in Iran in 1979-1981. I know, I was there more than once.
As for lately? Well, they’ve tried to keep Hamas stuck in Gaza. Seems like a decent start to me.
That’s correct.
They also gave us the Muslim Brotherhood and Ayman al-Zawahiri
Regards
No, EGYPT didn’t do that. That was terrorists.
When are you people going to understand this is NOT a war against another NATION, it’s a war of RELIGION?
While I was there, though, I will point out that Egypt IS a muslim nation, for the MOST part - there are Christians there as well, and they aren’t treated like they are in Iran, or even Saudi Arabia. However, there are a lot of Islamics who will beat women at the drop of a hat, no matter where they are from (country).
Myself and several of my “buddies” weren’t allowed to “touch the natives” so we ended up placing ourselves between an old man with a whip trying to beat the crap out of a young English girl whom had become separated from her group. Most of us got hit with the whip trying to prevent him from hitting her. We walked her back to her hotel and waited until she was back with her parents.
So - while you’re painting a broad brush on things, understand that it is not the GOVERNMENT that did that, it was religious fanatics that did it.
I stopped reading your post when I got to “When are you people going to ... “.
Find someones else butt to ream. Sheesh you are not to be questioned. Get lost
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.