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Kerry Quietly Approves $1.3 Billion in U.S. Military Aid to Egypt

(Reuters) Secretary of State John Kerry quietly acted last month to give Egypt $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid, deciding that this was in the national interest despite Egypt's failure to meet democracy standards. Kerry made the decision well before an Egyptian court this week convicted 16 American democracy workers. Under U.S. law, the secretary of state must certify that the Egyptian government is "implementing policies to protect freedom of expression, association and religion, and due process of law." The government may waive that condition if it deems this in the U.S. national security interest and provides a detailed justification. According to a May 9 memo, the U.S. national interests served by the aid include increasing security in the Sinai, helping prevent attacks from Gaza into Israel, countering terrorism and securing transit through the Suez Canal.
2013-06-07 00:00:00
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