White House says decision on U.S. aid to Egypt 'evolving'

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ANI Washington
Last Updated : Aug 20 2013 | 8:41 PM IST

The United States has revealed that their decision to provide foreign aid to Egypt's military-run government is evolving, despite mounting criticism from lawmakers over the government's indecision in picking a side to support.

Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that the U.S. administration will make a decision on whether to give annual aid to the Middle East country or not based on what was in the best interest of the country's national security and a section of a State Department appropriations act dealing with a 'coup d'etat', Fox News reports.

The section stated that the foreign aid can be suspended if a country's elected leader has been ousted by a military coup, the report added.

The statement comes a day after the lawmakers urged the White House to act definitively on their decision to give Egypt 1.5 billion dollars annually, especially after the country's interim military government brutal crackdown on the pro-Morsi supporters.

According to the report, Washington has, meanwhile, not shown any immediate corrective action even as the situation intensified with reports that Islamist militants have killed 25 policemen and that former President Hosni Mubarak might be freed.

The State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also clarified that the administration was not going to get involved in the Mubarak issue, while saying that it was an internal Egyptian legal matter that is working its way through the Egyptian legal system.

Mubarak was ousted in the 2011 Arab Spring revolution that gave way to Morsi for ruling Egypt.

Mubarak was sentenced life in prison last year.

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First Published: Aug 20 2013 | 12:52 PM IST

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