Italian senate votes to halt F-16 spare part exports to Egypt
The Italian senate voted to halt supplies of F-16 aircraft spare parts to Egypt in protest against the killing of Italian student Giulio Regeni, Reuters reported. “The Italian Senate marked the first commercial steps taken against Cairo. After a heated debate, the upper house of parliament passed the so-called Regeni amendment by 159 to 55.” Senator Nicola Latorre “said the vote was aimed at putting pressure on Egypt to help ‘the truth emerge more quickly’ over the killing” but other lawmakers noted that it would hurt relations with "an ally in the fight against terrorism."
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday it was “uncomfortable” with the decision, saying it is not “consistent with the size of the cooperation between the two authorities in the investigation" of the Regeni case. Egypt will “monitor developments” and come to a decision on how to “manage” relations with Italy in a way that meets the interests of both parties, the statement read.