US to sell Egypt advanced F-15 fighter jets despite rights concerns
A top US general says the United States will sell advanced F-15 fighter jets to Egypt in spite of concerns about Cairo's human rights record.
Central Command head General Frank McKenzie told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the deal for the jets came after a drawn-out process.
“In the case of Egypt, I think we have good news in that we’re going to provide them with F-15s, which was a long, hard slog,” McKenzie told senators.
McKenzie, however, did not elaborate on the sale, and the State Department, which has to sign off on it, has not officially notified Congress of the sale, as it is required to do so.
"We don't speak to potential arms transfers or arms sales until and unless they're notified to Congress," said State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
The new announcement comes days after the Senate tussled over a sale of cargo planes to Egypt worth $2.2 billion. Last week, senators rejected in a push by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to block the sale of a dozen C-130J aircraft.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers are expected to work to block the sale of the Boeing-built jets over Egypt’s human rights record.
“We should end military sales to Egypt’s criminal masters,” Paul said on the Senate floor last week. “Partially taking away some military aid while offering new sales that are 10 times what we’ve withheld shows weakness in the face of oppression.”
In January, the Biden administration approved $2.5 billion in proposed arms sales to Egypt. That included 12 C-130 J Super Hercules transports and accompanying equipment, worth $2.2 billion, and ground-based air defense systems worth $355 million.
But the State Department last year blocked the $130 million worth of military aid to Egypt due to its human rights records.
Meanwhile, several senior Congress members have called on President Joe Biden to hold back on military sales and aid until Egypt meets human rights criteria.
The government in Cairo has long faced criticism over its human rights record.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who overthrew the democratically-elected government of Mohamed Morsi of Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, has been serving as the president since 2014.
He has faced international criticism for a crackdown on civil society groups and for crushing any form of dissent against his autocratic rule.
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