CAIRO: On Tuesday afternoon, US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner defended the shipment of tear gas to the Egyptian government. “What we've seen is a lot of circumstantial evidence, but we haven't seen any real concrete proof that the Egyptian authorities were misusing tear gas,” alleged Toner. In the nine days of conflict between protesters and state security forces across Egypt, several people reportedly died of asphyxiation from the noxious gas and many have reported lasting health affects from prolonged exposure. Egyptian state security also targeted field hospitals set up near the conflict zones, and deployed tear gas bombs on a field hospital set up on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, close to the epicenter of the conflict. The field hospital had to be evacuated as medical personnel attempted to assist the wounded. Toner said that US funds were not used to pay for the gas, which the US government agreed to export to Egypt's Interior Ministry. “No US security assistance funds have been used for the purchase of tear gas by the Egyptian Government. We have approved previous licenses for the export of tear gas to the Egyptian Interior Ministry, and that was paid for with Egyptian funds,” he said. On Sunday, a shipment from the United States arrived in Egypt's Suez port containing 7 and half tons of tear gas. Documents emerged that a second shipment of 14 tons of tear gas was expected, making the total 21 tons. Sunday's shipment created conflict at the port after the responsible officials refused to sign and accept it for fear it would be used to crackdown on Egyptian protesters. According to a report from the US State Department, the United States provided Egypt with 33,770 units of “tear gases and riot control agents,” valued at $458,090 in 2009. For the fiscal year of 2010, the US shipped $1,748,743 worth of “toxicological agents including chemical agents, biological agents, and associated equipment” to Egypt, which includes “tear gases and riot control agents.” The numbers for 2011 are not released. However, when questioned regarding the continuation of the shipments to Egypt, Toner stated that, “There are ongoing licenses that are still valid.” He went on to say that reports of misuse would compromise future export agreements. Combined Tactical Systems (CTS) of Jamestown, Pennsylvania continues to produce the gas for international supply. Combined Tactical Systems is part of Combined Systems Inc (CSI), a US-based firm that produces military equipment for international militaries and law enforcement agencies. The United States is the biggest arms supplier to the Egyptian government, giving an average of $1.3 billion in military aid each year. BM
