US reaffirms support for Egyptian junta amid conflict over NGOs
Last week high-ranking US officials made clear that, despite the Egyptian military junta’s criticism of US-funded Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Egypt, no cut-off of US military aid to Egypt is being considered. Washington thus reaffirmed its long-time support for the Egyptian army.
At the beginning of the week, US President Barack Obama called on the US Congress not to touch the US aid package to Egypt.
On Thursday the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, told Congress that cutting off aid would be against US interests, declaring: “We do have a very close partnership with them [the Egyptian junta]. They grant us great overflight rights, they grant us priority passage through the Suez Canal. I mean, we get things for our aid that truly we need.”
These comments come after a months-long standoff between Washington and the Egyptian junta, after the junta raided US government organizations that fund Egyptian NGOs last December. These include the International Republican Institute (IRI), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and Freedom House. Heavily armed security forces arrested NGO workers and confiscated laptops and documents.
Read more: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/feb2012/egyp-f21.shtml
