RAND PAUL: OBAMA IGNORING RULE OF LAW OVER EGYPT AID
Washington, 5 Ramadan 1434/13 July 2013 (MINA) – US Republican Senator Rand Paul has lashed out at President Barack Obama for sending military aid to Egypt despite the military coup in the country.
“By the President’s refusal to call the situation in Egypt a ‘coup’ and continuing the flow of foreign assistance to Egypt, he is forthrightly saying ‘I am ignoring the rule of law,’” Paul was quoted as saying by Politico, Thursday.
The senator also on Thursday introduced legislation that would cut off foreign aid to Egypt after the country’s military ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
Washington is forbidden by law to provide foreign aid to those countries that a democratically elected government was toppled in a military coup.
Morsi, who was Egypt’s first freely-elected president in June 2012, was ousted in a military coup on July 3.
However, US defense officials said on Wednesday that the Pentagon plans to send four more F-16 fighter jets to Egypt in the coming weeks, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
The United States supplies about $1.5 billion in annual aid to Egypt, who is the second largest recipient of US aid after Israel. Cairo has received more than 70 billion dollars in military and economic aid from the United States since 1948.
The United States Navy has ordered two amphibious assault ships to move to the coast of Egypt amid the North African country’s post-coup violence.
On Thursday, US Marine Corps commandant Gen. James Amos said the USS Kearsarge and the USS San Antonio “moved up into the Red Sea and parked off of Egypt,” a couple of nights ago.
“Because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Amos said.
According to Marine Corps officials, moving the ships closer to shore would enable easier movement of helicopters and other equipment, if it were needed.
The recent chaos in Egypt has put the White House in limbo. On Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said that Washington will not stop providing military aid to Egypt despite the Morsi ouster. (T/P09/E1).
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
