Enlighten us please!

By Hafez Abu Seada

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The US House Appropriations Committee has introduced criteria that may block $200 million in military aid to Egypt. Cairo reacted with indignation and the Egyptian foreign minister said that the move "amounts to an assault on Egyptian sovereignty". The White House has not confirmed rumours that aid to Egypt will be slashed unless the government improves its human rights record and moves forward on democracy.

US aid to Egypt is conditional. Egypt is expected to bolster the peace process, safeguard US interest in the region, mediate between the Palestinians and Israel, and provide logistical support to US forces in the region. None of these conditions has anything to do with democracy, free speech, or other such mundane things. So why did this issue surface all of a sudden? It all happened during the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Prague, when activist Saadeddin Ibrahim met the US president and asked the Americans to put pressure on Egypt to release Ayman Nour and observe human rights.

Let's not think the unthinkable. The US doesn't care for human rights in Egypt. The US is a close associate with Israel, a leading country in human rights abuses; a country that uses banned weapons and occupies land by force. So what's all the fuss about? The simple explanation is that the US wants Egypt to play a greater role in Iraq, perhaps even sending troops to that country. That's why the pressure is on.

We need a boost for human rights. But it's not going to come from America. Our activists should fight for what they believe in. They must put pressure on the government to improve its human rights record. Aid is another story. Aid is a matter of common interests between donor and recipient. Democracy is not one of the matters of common interest between Egypt and the US. But it would be a good idea for the government to tell us what aid is about overall. Perhaps then we could form an educated opinion on the matter.

This week's Soapbox speaker is secretary- general of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights.