The Biden Administration will cancel USD 130 mn in military aid to Egypt if it fails to meet human rights-related conditions by today, US State Department officials said in a call with reporters on Friday, Reuters and the Associated Press reported.

Background: The aid has been frozen since September, when Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the annual USD 300 mn tranche to Egypt, but withheld almost half of it on the condition that we address “specific human-rights related conditions” by the end of January.

No final decision yet: The Madbouly government has “made notable progress” on the conditions but “has not met them all,” the newswires quote one official as having said. Blinken has not made a final decision, but if there are no major developments by 30 January, the secretary could reallocate the money.

Blinken raised human rights issues on a phone call with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Thursday according to a State Department readout. “The United States is committed to strengthening our partnership with Egypt to bolster regional stability and respect for human rights,” Blinken said in a tweet following the call.

This is only a fraction of the USD 1.3 bn Egypt has received from the US every year since 2017. While part of the aid comes with rights-related-requirements, the common practice by successive US administrations has been to override these rules and disburse the money regardless.

The US separately gave the green light just a few days ago to a USD 2.5 bn sale of weapons and equipment to Egypt, which will include 12 Super Hercules C-130 transport aircraft and air defense radar systems. Egypt remains a vital ally and Washington is still committed to support it for its “legitimate defense needs,” the unnamed State department officials said, adding that the huge arms sale specifically serves US interests.

IN OTHER DIPLOMACY NEWS:

El Sisi attends Egypt-UAE-Bahrain summit: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi discussed regional issues with the leaders of the UAE and Bahrain in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday — including the recent terror attacks carried out by Houthi militia in the UAE, according to Emirates News Agency (WAM).

COP27 preparations: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Thursday attended a virtual meeting of the US-convened Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF), where he joined US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, UN climate officials, and representatives of dozens of countries to discuss priorities ahead of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh in November, according to a foreign ministry statement.