US still planning to send F-16s to Egypt

The United States still plans to go through with the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt in the coming weeks, US officials have confirmed, despite the Egyptian military's removal of president Mohamed Morsi.

The disclosure came as Washington treads a careful line, neither welcoming Mr Morsi's removal nor denouncing it as a "coup," saying it needs time to weigh the situation.

A US decision to interpret his overthrow as a coup would, by US law, require Washington to halt aid to the Egyptian military, which receives the lion's share of the $1.5 billion in annual US assistance to that country.

The jets, which will likely be delivered in August, are part of the annual aid package, a US defence official said.

The jets are built by the Pentagon's biggest supplier, Lockheed Martin. Lockheed declined comment on the issue.

“There is no current change in the plan to deliver F-16s to the Egyptian military,” a second US official said on condition of anonymity.

Asked about the F-16s, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "It's our view that we should not ... hastily change our aid programs." He directed specific questions about the jets to the defence department.

Egypt has been one of the world's largest recipients of US aid since it signed a 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

It was the first Arab country to buy F-16s, widely viewed as a symbol of political and security ties with Washington. US-Egyptian co-production of the M1A1 Abrams battle tank has also been a key part of US assistance.

In a sign of how important US aid is to Washington's ties with Egypt, Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood warned last year before taking power that Egypt might review its peace deal with Israel if the United States cut aid.

For fiscal year 2013, which ends in September, the United States has already disbursed $650 million in military aid to Egypt. Another $585 million is pending, the first US official said.

Another eight F-16s are due to be delivered in December, the first US defence official said. The jets are part of a package of 20 F-16s, of which eight have already been delivered.

US defence secretary Chuck Hagel has spoken by phone with the head of Egypt's armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, eight times since July 2nd. The last conversation was on Tuesday.

The Pentagon has offered few details about those talks, which nevertheless show how intensive contacts between the two have been following Mr Morsi's July 3rd overthrow.

Anti-American sentiment

Still, both sides of Egypt’s divide have become fiercely anti-American. Mr Morsi’s opponents say president Barack Obama’s administration supported the Brotherhood in power, while Mr Morsi’s supporters believe Washington was behind the plot to unseat him.

To Islamists, Mr Obama’s refusal so far to label the military takeover a “coup” has stoked accusations that he is a hypocrite in promoting democracy.

For its part, the White House said on Wednesday it would take time to determine whether Mr Morsi’s ouster was a coup. It has previously pointed out that millions of Egyptians had wanted a change in government.

"We are evaluating how the authorities are responding to and handling the current situation," Mr Carney said.

The Obama administration tried to show that it is not taking sides in Egypt. It has also been at pains to explain why it has not called for the restoration of Mr Morsi, or even to say whether or not he should be allowed to take part in any new elections that may be held.

State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said she did not know where Mr Morsi was being held but voiced concern about his welfare.

"The United States has conveyed strongly and clearly to the Egyptian military that the treatment of anyone ... who was arbitrarily arrested, whether it's president Morsi or other members of the Muslim Brotherhood ... is important to the United States," Ms Psaki told reporters.