(Washington Post) The House Thursday rejected a $570 million cut in U.S. military aid to Egypt by 287 to 131, after Secretary of State Powell warned that the action would damage relations with a close Middle East ally "at a very sensitive moment in the region." The administration and military contractors who sell U.S.-financed weaponry to Egypt took seriously the threat of a cut and worked behind the scenes to head it off. Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) had proposed to shift some military aid to Egypt to economic assistance, which he said is "desperately needed." "The last thing this society [Egypt] needs is the ultimate in high-tech weaponry," Lantos said. During the debate, lawmakers rebuked the Egyptian government for tolerating anti-Semitism, limiting its cooperation with the U.S. in the war on terrorism, and failing to prevent gun-smuggling to militant Palestinian groups.
2004-07-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive