Egypt rejects US criticism of human rights record after military aid boost

Egypt has rejected criticism of its human rights record by a group of US senators, saying Washington remains “a stable ally” of Cairo.

Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesperson Badr Abdel Ati said on Wednesday that any demands for political reform by US lawmakers did not “represent an official stance” on the part of the country’s government.

Speaking to the state-owned daily al-Ahram, Ati stressed instead that upcoming strategic dialogue between the two countries marks a “unique moment” for US-Egyptian relations.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to meet his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on 2 August in a meeting that was recently postponed for what appears to be the last time from its scheduled date of 28 July.

The dialogue was first mooted in 2013 after interim president Adly Mansour wrote to US president Barack Obama requesting a meeting.

Since then the talks have been rescheduled several times, with the US appearing to step back from its role in regional diplomacy.

Ati’s comments on Wednesday come after a group of US senators, including both Republicans and Democrats, this week sent a letter to Kerry demanding that he focus the upcoming talks on the issue of human rights and “fundamental freedoms” in Egypt.

"We are troubled by recent developments in Egypt that suggest the country is not on a path to long-term sustainable security or political inclusion," the seven senators, who include former presidential candidate John McCain, wrote in the joint letter.

"We are also concerned that recent US policy and assistance decisions have been interpreted by the Egyptian government as an endorsement of the current political climate." 

Ati on Wednesday referenced a recent meeting by the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, the body that regulates government expenditure.

The committee on 11 June approved a 2016 budget that will see $1.3bn in military aid sent to Egypt, the same level it has been receiving since 2009.

According to Ati, the decision represents the importance of strategic US-Egyptian relations based on “shared interests”.

The budget was finally passed by the Appropriations Committee despite a critical report prepared by the State Department for the committee ahead of the vote.

Though it noted “common interests in countering transnational threats,” the report also warned that “the overall trajectory of rights and democracy has been negative”.