CAIRO: United States Senator Patrick Leahy said on Friday that the “days of blank checks are over” for Egypt's military council as the security situation continues to deteriorate and serious human rights violations are taking place. The statement came out while an Egyptian army team met with officials from the US State Department and discussed the future of American aid to Egypt. Egypt's military receives $1.3 billion in aid annually from Washington. Democratic Senator Leahy from Vermont and the head of the foreign affairs subcommittee in the Senate expressed his anger towards the military council in power in Egypt in a fiery statement issued Friday and condemned the recent crackdown and raids on local human rights NGOs and warned that aid could be cut if the situation does not improve in the near future. “We want to send a clear message to the Egyptian military that the days of blank checks are over. We value the relationship and will provide substantial amounts of aid, but not unconditionally,” Leahy said in the statement. Lehay eluded to the fact that the military is hypocritical as they receive aid money but raid NGOs who also receive foreign funds, saying “apparently, to the thinking of Egypt's military rulers, there is nothing wrong with the Egyptian government receiving billions of dollars from US taxpayers, but private Egyptian groups that work for a more democratic, free society on behalf of the Egyptian people, and that cannot survive without outside help, do so at their peril.” Two letters on Friday were signed by some 40 US senators addressing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and warning that the military aid should not be taken for granted by the Egyptian side. “The absence of a quick and satisfactory resolution to this issue will make it increasingly difficult for congressional supporters of a strong US-Egypt bilateral relationship to defend current levels of assistance to Egypt,” the joint letter read. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/r2apm Tags: Aid, featured, Leahy, SCAF, United States Section: Egypt, Latest News, North America
