Mr.
Obama removed his holds on the delivery of F-16 aircraft, Harpoon
missiles and M1A1 tank kits and in a telephone call assured President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt that he would continue to support $1.3
billion in annual military assistance for the Cairo government, the
White House announced.
The White House said
in a statement, “The president explained that these and other steps will
help refine our military assistance relationship so that it is better
positioned to address the shared challenges to U.S. and Egyptian
interests in an unstable region, consistent with the longstanding
strategic partnership between our two countries.”
While
the White House said Mr. Obama continued to express concern about human
rights abuses in Egypt, the decision to resume arms deliveries signaled
a geopolitical trade-off for the American leader. In effect, he
signaled that he was done punishing Cairo for toppling an elected
president and that he was instead focusing on the shared goal of
combating extremist elements in Libya and Yemen.
Egypt has said in recent days that it may send ground troops into Yemen
if necessary to support an air campaign led by Saudi Arabia to counter
the advance of Houthi rebels backed by Iran. Egypt also helped announce a
plan to join with other Arab countries to form a combined military
force to stand against Iranian aggression and Islamic extremism.
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