US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin travelled to Egypt on Wednesday to tell Cairo it wanted to deepen security and other ties but was concerned about human rights in country where activists say government critics are regularly rounded up.
But Washington has withheld small amounts of military aid to Cairo, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions, and advocacy groups have pushed for more to be held back.
“Egypt shouldn't get a blank check from the US when it continues to violate basic human rights, and I hope Secretary Austin will use this opportunity to convey that message to President Sisi,” US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told Reuters. US President Joe Biden has pledged to put human rights at the heart of his foreign policy and rights advocates have pushed Washington to get tougher on Sisi.
But some current and former US officials say the US can only take limited steps against Egypt and other allies on rights issues if it wants to avoid rival powers gaining influence. “They would simply, probably out of necessity, move towards Russia or China or whoever else they considered to be a substitute for the US and then their interest in trying to adhere to international human rights standards would be less,” said Michael Mulroy, a former Pentagon official.
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