Egypt on Wednesday criticised the US decision to withhold $290.7 million in military and economic aid to Cairo due to concerns over human rights conditions in the Arab country.
An Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement said the move -- which has not yet been announced -- reflected "poor judgement", BBC reported.
"It also underestimates the size and nature of the economic and security challenges facing the Egyptian people, and implies a mixing of cards that may have negative repercussions on achieving Egyptian-American common interests," the statement said.
Washington denied Cairo $95.7 million and is to withhold 15 per cent of the $1.3 billion it grants Egypt annually in military aid unless it can certify that the government is making progress in the fields of democracy and human rights, a US State Department official told Efe news.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also cancelled a meeting with US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner.
On Tuesday, the Washington Post cited US officials as saying that US State Secretary Rex Tillerson had notified Shoukry by a phone call of his decision to withhold the aid to Egypt and to reallocate it to other countries.
US officials were said to be unhappy over Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's move ratifying a new law regulating NGOs, the report said.
The law states that NGOs are prohibited from conducting activities that "harm national security, public order, public morality or public health", strictly controls their funding and gives the government the authority to monitor their activities.
Violations are punishable with sentences of one to five years in prison and a fine of $2,820 to $56,400.
Eight civil society organisations warned in June that the legislation ushered in "unprecedented levels of repression" and would criminalise the work of many NGOs in Egypt, making it impossible for them to function independently.
--IANS
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