Cairo has criticized the US Senate's decision ratifying the former US president George Bush's recommendation to reduce the U.S. economic aid to Egypt from $415 million to $200 million. It has also renewed its refusal to have the aid linked to any conditions.
Suleiman Awwad, the Presidency Spokesman, said Egypt reached an agreement with the US to gradually reduce the US aid from 1998 to 2008.
In a statement yesterday, he said: "The budget of the US foreign appropriations for 2009 has unilaterally cut the economic aid to Egypt from $415 million to $200 million. The US cut the aid after Egypt refused to carry out conditions. The military aid has been kept unchanged, $1.3 billion.
Egypt appreciates the aid it received from the US or other international partners, but it refuses to have the aid linked to any conditions, Awwad said.
The new US administration has showed positive signs on reconsidering this issue through the bilateral channels. What was published by some newspapers and the media that the US Foreign Assistance Act decided to set the 2008/2009 budget till the 2009/2010 budget is endorsed, is untrue.
Egypt has rejected this act, which is mere a previous decision by the Bush decision, because it imposes some conditions. In addition, it has been issued without consultation or coordination, between Cairo and Washington.