WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could decide next week whether to resume US military aid to Egypt, which has been embroiled in a dispute with the United States over democratic freedoms, the US State Department said on Friday. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Clinton has not yet made any decisions despite a New York Times report that said the Obama administration planned to resume the assistance. Congress has already approved $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt for the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, $250 million in economic aid and up to $60 million for an "enterprise fund." But for the military aid to flow, the law requires Clinton to certify that the Egyptian government is supporting a transition to civilian government, including holding free and fair elections, and implementing policies to protect freedom of expression, association, religion and the due process of law. The US law allows Clinton to issue a waiver allowing the assistance to go forward if she deems this to be in the US national interest. "She (Clinton) may be ... in a position to make these decisions by the middle of next week, but we'll just have to see," Nuland told reporters, adding that Clinton was consulting with lawmakers, think-tanks and others about the decision.
