Press Contact:
Senators Urge Secretary Kerry to Focus on Political Reform,
Human Rights during U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue
Monday, July 27, 2015
WASHINGTON
– U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, along with Senators John McCain (R-AZ),
Tim Kaine (D-VA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mark Kirk (R-IL), and
Bob Casey (D-PA) wrote Secretary of State John Kerry today ahead of
the upcoming U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue, urging that “political reform,
human rights, and fundamental freedoms” are made a central element of the
agenda.
In the
letter, the Senators write that while “The United States and Egypt have shared
a strategic partnership for more than four decades … 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. We are also concerned
that recent U.S. policy and assistance decisions have been interpreted by the
Egyptian government as endorsement of the current political climate.”
Dear
Secretary Kerry,
As you
prepare to lead the U.S. delegation during the upcoming August 2 U.S.-Egypt
Strategic Dialogue, we strongly urge you to make political reform, human rights,
and fundamental freedoms a central element of the agenda. The United
States and Egypt have shared a strategic partnership for more than four
decades, and we hope that together our two countries, governments, and peoples
will continue to work together and benefit from shared interests and
objectives. However, 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. We are also concerned that recent U.S. policy and
assistance decisions have been interpreted by the Egyptian government as
endorsement of the current political climate.
Over
the past several months the U.S. Government has made a series of decisions with
respect to the relationship with Egypt including: lifting the executive holds
in place since October 2013 on U.S. military equipment deliveries, sending a
national security waiver to Congress in order to provide $1.5 billion in U.S.
assistance, and notifying Congress of intent to obligate security and economic
assistance funds to Egypt for fiscal year 2015. In addition, the U.S.
Government is supporting Egypt through economic assistance, the Higher
Education Initiative, and your attendance at the January 2015 Egypt Development
Conference and advocacy on behalf of Egypt with international donors and
institutions. These forms of support are critical and intended to signal
U.S. support for Egypt’s security and economic recovery, but U.S. engagement in
these areas must be coupled with an Egyptian commitment to implementing a
reform agenda that takes into account human rights, fundamental freedoms, and
the need for an active civil society.
A key
element of U.S. foreign policy has always been and must continue to be support
for human rights, political reform, and civil society. In the U.S.-Egypt
relationship, we are concerned that these core principles seem to be no longer
a priority. Policies pursued by the Egyptian authorities are fueling
instability. These policies include the detention of tens of thousands of
political prisoners – including American citizens – without due process of law,
restrictions on basic freedoms of assembly and mounting official pressure
against the legitimate activities of independent human rights organizations.
Security services continue to crackdown on protests with excessive force while
the Egyptian judiciary has handed down mass death sentences, often in absentia
and without regard for fair trial standards.
The
United States will remain committed to a security partnership with Egypt that
addresses shared challenges and reflects twenty-first century threats. The
Egyptian government should be commended for its adherence to the Peace Treaty
with Israel, its role in brokering ceasefires between Israel and Hamas, its
provision of military privileges to the United States, and its participation in
peacekeeping missions and support for the anti-ISIL Coalition. In the
Sinai, the Egyptian government has worked to secure the border with Israel and
Gaza, though it continues to face serious terrorist threats. Egypt must
also contend with ongoing instability on its border with Libya, which has
allowed terrorists to smuggle weapons into Egypt and provided a haven for
another ISIL affiliate that in February murdered 21 Egyptian Copts. Accordingly,
we welcome the Administration’s recent decision to channel U.S. security
assistance into four categories – counterterrorism, border security, Sinai
security, and maritime security.
The
United States should also continue to support Egypt as it seeks sustainable and
inclusive economic growth. President Sisi deserves praise for his commitment to
economic reforms, including difficult cuts to fuel subsidies and efforts to
improve the business climate, which are vital to Egypt’s long-term economic health.
This commitment has begun to bear fruit in the form of improved economic
forecasts, a stabilized sovereign debt rating and increased foreign direct
investment. However, it is crucial that the Egyptian government also plan and
implement a long-term human development plan for Egypt’s large population that
improves essential services like health and education, develops opportunities
for private sector growth and entrepreneurship, and supports small and
medium-sized enterprises which provide the bulk of Egyptian jobs. U.S.
technical and financial assistance to Egypt already plays a role in these areas
and should support Egypt in developing and implementing such a plan.
As we
saw during the Arab Spring uprisings, choking off all peaceful and legitimate
avenues for dissent coupled with unaccountable institutions fuels violent
extremism and increases the likelihood of long-term instability. As
President Obama emphasized at the Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) Summit in
February, “when people are oppressed, and human rights are denied…when dissent
is silenced, it feeds violent extremism.”
We
firmly believe that there can be no sustainable security or economic growth in
Egypt without a serious reform effort. As you prepare for the
U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue, we insist that discussion of human rights,
political reform, and civil society freedoms are a central element of the
agenda.
Sincerely,
Senator
Ben Cardin
Senator
John McCain
Senator
Tim Kaine
Senator
Marco Rubio
Senator
Chris Coons
Senator
Mark Kirk
Senator
Bob Casey
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