WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry last month approved $1.3bn in annual US military aid to Egypt, despite concerns over democratic progress by the new government, a US official said on Friday.
All such aid is “carefully considered,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, but it was felt the funding was necessary to help “preserve important regional interests”. On May 10, Kerry quietly approved the transfer of the annual aid, notifying the US Congress of his decision, she confirmed.
Psaki defended Kerry’s approval of aid for the fiscal year 2013 saying it was in US national security interests and helped such things as “maintaining access to the Suez Canal and the interdiction of weapons smuggling”.
Last year, the funds were held up after the Egyptian authorities first moved against the US-funded non-governmental organisations. Kerry’s predecessor Hillary Clinton finally gave the green light for the funds to be paid in March.
Reuters
