US will provide more military aid to Egypt
Obama on Monday said he would ask the U.S. Congress for US$1.3 billion per year in military aid for Egypt and said he would lift holds on aircraft, missiles and tanks for Cairo in place since October 2013, the White House said in a statement.
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Monday said he would ask the U.S. Congress for US$1.3 billion per year in military aid for Egypt and said he would lift holds on aircraft, missiles and tanks for Cairo in place since October 2013, the White House said in a statement.
Obama also said that the United States would discontinue starting in fiscal 2018 Egypt’s use of cash flow financing, a financial mechanism that allows Egypt to buy equipment on credit, the White House said.
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US releases military aid to Egypt, cites national security
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is releasing military aid to Egypt that was suspended after the 2013 coup in that country.
The White House says Obama is lifting the hold on sending F-16 fighter jets, tanks and other material to Egypt. The U.S. has been weighing whether to lift the hold to help combat the extremist threat spilling over from Libya and in the Sinai Peninsula.
But the White House says it is not issuing a certification that Egypt has made progress toward democracy. Instead, the U.S. is maintaining that the aid is in the interest of U.S. national security.
The U.S. had to do one or the other to unblock the aid. The funds were suspended 21 months ago when the military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
