WASHINGTON: The United States has delayed plans to supply Egypt with an additional four F-16 fighter jets due to unrest gripping the country, the Pentagon said yesterday.
“Given the current situation in Egypt we do not believe it is appropriate to move forward at this time with the delivery of F-16s,” spokesman George Little told reporters.
“We remain committed to the US-Egypt defence relationship as it remains a foundation of our broader strategic partnership with Egypt and serves as a pillar of regional stability,” he said.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel informed Egypt’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, of the decision in a phone call earlier yesterday, Little said. Little did not specifically say why President Barack Obama made the decision to postpone the delivery of the fighter jets but said the US government believed it was “prudent” to take the step and that Washington wanted to see Egypt move quickly towards democratic rule.
“Moving forward, everything we do and say will continue to be focused on hastening Egypt’s return to a democratically elected government as soon as possible, consistent with our legal requirements and our national security interests,” he said. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the decision on the F-16s had been “unanimously supported” by Obama’s national security team, but also refused to go into details. The US decision, however, did not signal that the Obama administration had concluded that Mursi was pushed out in a coup, both officials said.
The administration has refrained from saying Morsi was the victim of a coup, which would legally require a freeze on some $1.5bn in US military and economic assistance to Cairo.
US officials were still reviewing whether events in Egypt could be labeled a coup, Little said.
Under a $2.5bn deal signed in 2010, the United States is committed to providing 20 F-16 fighters to Egypt. Four jets were delivered earlier this year and four more F-16s were due to be shipped at the end of this month, officials said. AFP
