Senior American official: Human rights are necessary to strengthen our relationship with Cairo
Exclusive – Washington
Translated by Ingy Ashraf
A senior US State Department official said that Egyptian-American relations are multifaceted, including permanent talks between Cairo and Washington on various issues, referring to the Egyptian-American consultations on achieving a fair and permanent peace in Ukraine and promoting equal measures of freedom, security, and prosperity for the Palestinians and the Israelis, in addition to strengthening the ceasefire, addressing the humanitarian situation in Sudan, and supporting the political process in Libya to help the Libyan people choose their leaders.
The US State Department official to «AlMawq3» that relations between Cairo and Washington have developed over many decades, expressing great confidence that this relationship will continue, saying: “We will continue to consult with Cairo very actively regarding all files.”
When the US State Department official was asked about the possibility that Washington’s recent decision to withhold part of US aid to Egypt would affect relations between the two countries, the US State Department official emphasized the depth and strength of Egyptian-American strategic relations and warned at the same time that the human rights situation is essential for his country’s relations with Cairo.
The US State Department notified Congress last Thursday of withholding $85 million in US aid to Egypt, estimated at $1.3 billion annually, and decided to be satisfied with $1.215 billion and to redirect the withheld amount to Taiwan ($55 million) and Lebanon ($30 million). This in the budget for the financial year 2022.
Meanwhile, senior officials in the US State Department confirmed last Thursday that Secretary Anthony Blinken, in the interest of US national security, decided to abdicate some conditions related to human rights regarding aid to Egypt for the financial year 2022.
The officials explained that this decision “reflects Egypt’s role in US national security priorities and as a strategic partner for the United States”, confirming that “Cairo has a decisive voice and efforts to promote regional peace and security, starting by defending Ukraine for achieving fair and permanent peace and calming Israeli-Palestinian tensions, in addition to strengthening the ceasefire in Sudan and supporting the Libyan elections”.
The US State Department official notified «AlMawq3», from Washington, DC, that the recent military exercise bright star between Egypt and the United States is merely a reflection of a deep relationship that has extended for decades between the two countries. Senior State Department officials said, “We had deep conversations with the Egyptians about their human rights issue, clearly and honestly.
The American official emphasized that the President Joe Biden administration places human rights as one of the most important issues in the Middle East and that this priority won’t change. Also said, “Since the beginning of President Biden’s administration, we have repeatedly conveyed to the Egyptian government the importance of human rights and the foreign policy of the United States. We made it clear to Cairo that tangible progress in the field of human rights in Egypt will strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
Egypt is one of the countries in the world that receives the most annual American aid, and Cairo was the second largest recipient of American aid, after Israel, before the war in Ukraine. While Ukraine came in first place, Israel came in second place, then Egypt. Washington provides aid to Egypt worth about $1.3 billion annually, after Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, and small portion of this aid – about $320 million – is related to Cairo’s subject of democracy and human rights.
