U.S. Egypt Policy Must Simultaneously Support Sisi's Efforts to Combat Terror, Push Democratic Reforms, Says Ros-Lehtinen

Press Release

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, made the following statement today at a subcommittee hearing entitled, "Egypt Two Years After Morsi: Part I." Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

Egypt has always been of central importance to the Middle East and the region's stability. It has also been a strategic interest for the United States, our policy objectives in the region and our national security. The Suez Canal remains an all-important waterway that serves as a strategic asset for the global trade, but just as importantly, the avenue which U.S. warships can easily traverse to go between the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf.

Over these past 4 years, we have certainly seen Egypt undergo drastic changes. As policy makers, we face one of the more difficult challenges in Egypt and today's hearing is titled: Egypt Two Years After Morsi to examine the ever changing dynamics on the ground in Egypt of that. Since the 2011 revolution, the change we had hoped to see for Egypt has been slow to come, to say the least.

For many of us - myself included - we believe that human rights is a top priority that must be taken into account as we formulate our foreign policy objectives. We want to see people living in free, democratic and open societies where everyone can practice their religion without fear and where everyone is treated equally and fairly.

In March of this year, an Egyptian court ruled that parliamentary elections had to be postponed, marking a major setback in Egypt's path to democracy. The authorities in Egypt and different branches of government must work together to ensure that the elections are scheduled as quickly as possible and in accordance with Egyptian law. It's important to note that elections for the sake of elections are not the only requirement for a democracy; A government must also govern democratically and respect the rights of its citizens.

But we also understand that there can be no economic prosperity, no political stability, without safety and security. And right now, Egypt faces threats from the Sinai and along its border with Libya, and Cairo plays an important role as a counterbalance to the Iranian regime's hegemonic ambitions in the region. Egypt has taken a very active role in the Sinai -- which for years had been ignored by Cairo -- and is confronting the radical terror groups, some affiliated to ISIL. Egypt has also been vital in cutting off and destroying the tunnels in Gaza used by Hamas and has been working closely with Israel to combat their shared threats together.

Earlier this year, the administration decided to resume weapons transfers to Egypt to help Cairo counter some of these threats. In 2013, Mr. Connolly and I had commissioned a three phase report from the Government Accountability Office to assess our foreign assistance to Egypt. The GAO is currently conducting this third phase, which will assess the security-related assistance, and the timing could not be more important as we resume these weapons sales. It is in our national security interests to see that these terror threats are eliminated, and that Egypt remains a strategic ally and continues to have a good working relationship with Israel.

Recently, Egypt has taken moves that signal that it is willing to move away from the U.S. toward a closer relationship with Russia. Russia has agreed to build a nuclear power plant in Egypt, the two have increased trade dramatically over the past year, and Putin has vowed to increase Russian weapons sales to Egypt. We cannot afford to allow Putin to undermine our ties with Egypt -- it would be a serious blow to our national security interests.

But as friends, it's also important we also take issue with Cairo's lack of progress on the domestic front. I still remain deeply concerned over the fate of 43 NGO workers, many of whom are American citizens, who were convicted in absentia in a sham, politically motivated trial. It would be a simple, but important, gesture for Sisi to pardon these individuals and signal that he is willing to move Egypt forward in a positive direction and could improve the U.S. -- Egypt bilateral relationship. He should also look to re-examine the controversial laws against civil society -- like the NGO law and the protest law.

As much as the Egyptian people appreciate safety, security, and economic growth after the recent instability, they are also seeking far-reaching changes to the political process and the people's relationship with the state. President Sisi should seize this opportunity to move forward on long-needed democratic reforms, and the U.S. can play an important role in that effort. What it boils down to is finding the right balance between security and democracy, and the United States must ensure that we leverage our assistance to promote both simultaneously.

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