US Unfreezes Military Aid to Egypt amid Kerry’s Visit

The US State Department said on Sunday $575 million – a tranche of some $1.5 billion annual aid Egypt receives from the US – has been released over the past 10 days. The unfreezing of the US annual aid to Egypt coincides with the US Secretary of State John Kerry’s brief visit to Cairo as part of his Mideast tour.

The funds have been frozen since October amid US demands that Cairo introduce “democratic reforms” in the Arab country.

Washington has also said it will provide 10 Apache attack helicopters to Egypt.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Cairo on Sunday on to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, under whose leadership the Egyptian army toppled President Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected leader, last year.

“There’s a strong desire on the part of the United States for this transition to succeed,” said a senior State Department official travelling with Kerry.

“We have a longstanding relationship … that’s built on several different pillars. It’s at a difficult juncture right now, that’s true, and we have serious concerns about the political environment,” the official said.