American Senate committee arrives in Cairo to discuss aid

A US Congressional delegation from the State Foreign Operations subcommittee, headed by the majority clerk, Anne Marie Chotvacs, arrived in Cairo on Tuesday morning to discuss American aid to Egypt.

A senior, well-informed Egyptian source said that the delegation was to set to meet senior officials in Cairo to discuss the US assistance programme to Egypt in the upcoming period.

The source said, “This visit is the first direct visit (since Morsi’s ousting) by US Secretary of State John Kerry to the country.”

In addition, the source said, the delegation is to examine the seriousness of and preparations for the coup government’s plan to carry out its roadmap. The military-led government said the roadmap will lead to a constitution and parliamentary and presidential elections shortly.

Amwal Al-Ghad (Your English portal to the Arab Economy website) said that the State Foreign Operations subcommittee had proposed a bill that would see $1.3 billion of military assistance split into four sections, with conditions placed on 75 per cent of the aid.

Amwal Al-Ghad pointed out that based on President Barack Obama’s request, the proposed bill would provide $250 million in economic aid and $1.5 billion in military aid. The subcommittee proposed that military assistance be split into four equal portions and be “subject to certifications by the Secretary of State.”

The first 25 per cent will be “provided immediately”, while the second is on the condition “that the government of Egypt supports an inclusive political process and releases political prisoners.”