Amnesty: US says military cargo not headed for Egypt

CAIRO, Egypt – A Dutch ship laden with US military cargo will not dock at an Egyptian port, US authorities told Amnesty International yesterday, following a statement from the rights group slamming the shipment of weapons to a regime that would likely use the cargo "for serious violations of human rights." 

Amnesty International yesterday released a statement condemning the "ship of shame" it said was headed from a US military port to the Egyptian city of Port Said. Egyptian security forces often use US-made tear gas and other weapons to crack down on protestors. 

US authorities apparently told Amnesty that while the ship is indeed carrying US military cargo, it is not headed for Egypt. US officials did not disclose the actual destination port, Amnesty said. 

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No doubt Amnesty will be tracking the ship to see where it does end up. The US has long supplied Middle East states like Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen with miilitary aid and supplies. 

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In the meantime, Amnesty called on Secretary Hilary Clinton to "stop funding Egypt's weapons purchases with US military aid because there is substantial risk those weapons will be used for serious rights violations."

In today's edition of the New York Times, the paper reports the Obama administration plans to resume military aid to Egypt, siting officials in Washington.