Egypt criticises US decision to cut aid as Kushner visits

Egypt protests a US decision to withhold some military aid as a US delegation including presidential adviser Jared Kushner is in Cairo for meetings on the Middle East peace process.

In this May 21, 2017 file photo, US President Donald Trump, right, holds a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi in Riyadh.
AP

In this May 21, 2017 file photo, US President Donald Trump, right, holds a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi in Riyadh.

Egypt called off a scheduled meeting between its foreign minister and top US presidential adviser Jared Kushner on Wednesday after the United States decided to withhold millions of dollars in aid.

But despite the foreign minister's snub, President Abdel Fattah al Sisi would still meet the US delegation led by Kushner later in the day as scheduled, Sisi's office said.

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Two US sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday that Washington had decided to deny Egypt $95.7 million in aid and to delay a further $195 million because of its failure to make progress on respecting human rights and democratic norms.

"Egypt sees this measure as reflecting poor judgment of the strategic relationship that ties the two countries over long decades and as adopting a view that lacks an accurate understanding of the importance of supporting Egypt's stability," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The decision could have "negative implications" on achieving common goals and interests between the two countries, it added.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry had been scheduled to meet the US delegation led by Kushner, a son-in-law to US President Donald Trump and a close adviser, on Wednesday in Cairo to discuss the Middle East.

But the meeting was cancelled immediately after the ministry released its statement, a copy of Shoukry's schedule sent out to journalists showed.

A foreign ministry official told Reuters the meeting had been cancelled but did not give a reason. 

A US embassy official in Cairo said Kushner's meeting with Shoukry had never been set in stone because "the schedule was never fixed."

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