US State Dept. Says No Decision Made On Releasing $130Mln Military Aid To Egypt

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th January, 2022) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made no decision on releasing $130 million in military assistance to Egypt that is currently on hold until Cairo addresses human rights issues raised by the Biden administration, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter said on Friday.

"The Secretary has yet to make a decision regarding the $130 million in foreign military financing since September 2021until the government of Egypt affirmatively addresses specific human rights-related conditions," Porter said during a conference call.

There are no updates on the status of the funding, Porter said.

US media reported earlier in the day that the Biden administration decided to freeze the security package for Egypt due to the Egyptian government's human rights abuses.

Washington has conveyed its disapproval to Cairo after the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi failed to meet US State Department standards on respect for human rights.

During the 2020 US presidential election campaign, then candidate and now President Joe Biden pledged to end the issuing of what he called blank checks for al-Sisi, whom he described as then-president Donald Trump's favorite dictator.

However, US human rights activists remain skeptical about the move considering it comes after the Biden administration approved this past week a new $2.5 billion sale of US weapons and equipment to Egypt.