The Bush administration plans to provide Egypt with surface-to-surface missiles and four patrol boats on which to base them in a $400 million deal, the Washington Postreported today.
Citing a classified memo sent to Congress on November 2nd, the
Post
said the administration had notified lawmakers of its intent to provide Egypt with 53 Harpoon Block II missiles.
A US government official said the Harpoon missiles would help Egypt to protect the Suez Canal, an important passage for US commercial and military ships, the newspaper said.
Although the United States gives Egypt $1.3 billion in military aid annually, a legacy of the 1978 Camp David peace accords, the Harpoon deal is proving more troublesome than most, the Postreported.
Some lawmakers are reluctant to give Egypt sophisticated technology they say could blunt Israel's qualitative military edge over neighbouring countries, the newspaper said.
The State Department, White House and Pentagon declined comment on the plan, according to the Post.