Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, featured in Press TV's US Desk graphic. Azikiwe is a frequent contributor to international media., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Tue Aug 20, 2013 3:40AM GMT
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To listen to this statement delivered to Press TV's US Desk by Abayomi Azikiwe on Egypt just click on the website below
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/20/319567/egyptian-military-protects-us-interests/
Editor of Pan-African News Wire Abayomi Azikiwe says the US will not stop its military aid to Egypt as the Egyptian military is protecting US interests in the Middle East.
“At this point, the US administration feels that they cannot boycott relations with the Egyptian military because they are in fact responsible for upholding the United States’ interests in the entire region,” Azikiwe told Press TV on Monday.
The US administration on Friday announced it would continue sending $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt.
“This military aid has been going on for over 30 years,” Azikiwe said, so “it is important that people inside the United States are joined with pro-democracy [elements]... to bring about a complete halt to all US aid to the Egyptian military.”
An increasing number of American lawmakers are now calling on the White House to suspend aid to the crisis-stricken country.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the first Muslim elected to Congress, said on Monday that he would end aid to Egypt.
Senator John McCain, a top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who initially supported the continuation of US aid to Egypt following the overthrow of Morsi, said he now supported withholding the aid.
Senator Bob Corker (R, Tenn.) also said that the US should “recalibrate” its military aid to Egypt while keeping open lines of communication with the strategically important ally.
Even the Democratic leaders, who generally support the Obama administration’s approach, have opposed the idea of sending aid to Egypt.
Mohamed Morsi-- Egypt’s first democratically elected president-- was removed from power by the military on July 3. Since then, Morsi’s supporters have been holding protests in the streets calling for his return. The Egyptian military has cracked down on the protesters killing hundreds of them.
The White House has not yet called the ouster of Morsi a coup as such acknowledgement would have ended the US aid to Egypt in accordance with US law.
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