US aid to Egypt still under review: White House

Image
IANS Washington
Last Updated : Aug 21 2013 | 6:50 AM IST

President Barack Obama and his national security team would discuss whether the country should continue or curtail the annual aid worth $1.5 billion to Egypt, the White House said Tuesday.

The White House spokesperson Josh Earnest, during a daily briefing, also termed the media reports suggesting the US assistance to Egypt had been cut off as "not accurate", Xinhua reported.

Admitting that Obama had directed his national security team to review the aid and assistance relationship with Egypt, the officia said, but the review had not concluded yet. He said providing foreign assistance was not like a spigot, or could be turned up and down like a faucet.

Stating Obama will convene a meeting of his national security team on the issue Tuesday afternoon, the official cautioned against anticipation of any major announcements following the meet.

Earlier in the day, the National Security Council also said that the Obama administration had not taken any final decision on halting assistance to Egypt.

As the President has said, we are reviewing all of our assistance to Egypt. No policy decisions have been made at this point regarding the remaining assistance," its spokesperson said in the statement.

A section of US media reported late Monday that the administration had quietly ended some aid to Egypt.

A spokesman for Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate's Subcommittee on the Department of State and Foreign Operations, said Monday that his office had been told that the aid to Egypt had been halted.

Also, a Pew poll released Monday showed, 51 percent of the Americans say it is better for the US to cut off military aid to Egypt, while 26 percent of Americans want to continue the aid to maintain influence in the African country.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 21 2013 | 6:46 AM IST

Next Story