| A U.S. congressman wants to phase out military aid to Egypt, claiming the country is stockpiling weaponry amid diminished threats. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said he plans to introduce legislation that would convert the annual military aid of $1.3 billion to economic assistance, Middle East Newsline reported Tuesday. Egypt has created 11 battle units for the navy, Lantos said, and has procured the Harpoon-2 and fast-attack craft. "Egyptian military exercises are ominously geared toward an Israeli enemy that doesn’t obviously exist," Lantos said. "This is a policy choice." Egypt has been a major non-NATO ally of the United States since 1996. In 2003, the Bush administration approved a $300 million grant to Egypt for its contribution and pledges for cooperation related to the war in Iraq. |