The White House announced on Tuesday that it was restoring military aid to Egypt which had been frozen since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in 2013 pending the completion of a democratic transition in Egypt. Below, Ahram Online answers some of the key questions about the decision and its ramifications.
1. What is the decision taken by President Obama in regard to military aid for Egypt?
The United States will be sending 12 F-16 fighter jets, 20 missiles and up to 125 tank kits, while continuing to request from Congress $1.3 billion in annual military assistance for Egypt each year.
The US also said it would terminate the system known as cash flow financing by which Egypt currently receives its military assistance, starting 2018.
2. Is the aid being released because Egypt has met the US criteria for a dremocratic transition?
Not necessarily. A new provision in the FY2015 act allows the secretary of state to request the appropriation of aid to Egypt to serve US national security interests, even if Egypt do