III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 108 

Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to the United StatesEgypt partnership. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 3, 2017 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. KAINE, Mr. YOUNG, and Mr. 

MENENDEZ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to the 

United States-Egypt partnership. 

Whereas after almost four decades of close cooperation, the 

United States-Egypt partnership has been built on 

shared objectives and interests with enduring bipartisan 

support in Congress; 

Whereas the Government and people of Egypt play a critical 

role in global and regional politics; 

Whereas the United States-Egypt partnership is vital for the 

peace, stability, and prosperity of the Middle East; 

Whereas Egypt has been an intellectual and cultural center 

of the Arab world, and continues to be an important 

country based on its geography, demography, and historic 

leadership role; 


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•SRES 108 IS 

Whereas Egypt remains one of the top recipients of United 

States foreign assistance worldwide, having received 

$77,000,000,000 in bilateral foreign aid from the United 

States, including $1,300,000,000 per year in military aid; 

Whereas Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel remains one 

of the most significant diplomatic achievements for the 

promotion of Arab-Israeli peace; 

Whereas for almost forty years, Egypt, Israel, and the United 

States have collaborated to counter terrorism, prevent illicit smuggling, and enhance regional stability; 

Whereas the United States has welcomed Egypt’s participation in the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS; 

Whereas Egypt and the United States held a Strategic Dialogue in Cairo, Egypt, on August 2, 2015, based on the 

shared commitment to deepen the bilateral relationship; 

Whereas Egypt can play an important role in facilitating negotiated settlements to end the conflicts in Libya, Syria, 

and Yemen, restarting the Middle East Peace Process, 

and defeating ISIS; 

Whereas the Egyptian people continue to be the victims of 

heinous terrorist attacks, including the December 11, 

2016, ISIS bombing of the Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox 

Cathedral, which killed 28 people including women and 

children; 

Whereas the Government of Egypt reached an agreement 

with the International Monetary Fund in November 2016 

to take important steps toward economic stabilization, 

such as liberalizing its foreign exchange system and reducing costly fuel subsidies; 

Whereas President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in a televised interview on September 16, 2016, said that he is very comVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:38 Apr 03, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR108.IS SR108

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•SRES 108 IS 

mitted to preserving human rights in Egypt and that 

Egypt will not return to tyranny; 

Whereas the Department of State’s 2016 Country Reports on 

Human Rights Practices notes, with respect to Egypt, 

that— 

(1) ‘‘[t]he most significant human rights problems 

were excessive use of force by security forces, deficiencies 

in due process, and the suppression of civil liberties’’; 

(2) ‘‘[t]here were numerous reports that the government [of Egypt] or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings while making arrests or holding persons in 

custody’’; 

(3) ‘‘[c]onditions in the prisons and detention centers were harsh and potentially life-threatening due to 

overcrowding, physical abuse, inadequate medical care, 

poor infrastructure, and poor ventilation’’; and 

(4) ‘‘[s]everal international and local human rights 

groups . . . reported a spike in enforced disappearances 

[in Egypt], alleging authorities increasingly relied on this 

tactic to intimidate critics’’; 

Whereas credible local organizations estimate that thousands 

of people are detained solely for political reasons in 

Egypt, including for peacefully protesting or calling for 

a change in government; 

Whereas in March 2017, President el-Sisi pardoned 203 prisoners many of whom had been jailed for taking part in 

protests; 

Whereas United States citizen Aya Hijazi, her husband Mohammed Hassanein, and other members of the Belady 

Foundation have been unjustly imprisoned in Egypt since 

May 2014; 


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•SRES 108 IS 

Whereas the Parliament of Egypt’s passage of legislation restricting the work of nongovernmental organizations undermines Egypt’s stated commitment to protecting constitutionally guaranteed rights and to furthering Egypt’s 

democratic transition; 

Whereas the media is regularly harassed by Egyptian authorities and Egypt was the world’s third-highest jailer of 

journalists in 2016, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists; 

Whereas respect for democracy, inclusive governance, human 

rights, and civil liberties have been core pillars of United 

States foreign policy since at least the 1970s; 

Whereas Egypt will ensure its security, economic prosperity, 

and transition to democracy by protecting the constitutionally guaranteed rights of all Egyptians; and 

Whereas the last official visit to the United States by an 

Egyptian head of state was in August 2009: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) welcomes Egyptian President Abdel Fattah 

3 el-Sisi to the United States; 

4 (2) expresses hope that President el-Sisi’s visit 

5 will open a new chapter in United States-Egyptian 

6 relations as both sides pledge to work toward greater 

7 cooperation based on shared interests and values; 

8 (3) acknowledges the central and historic im9 portance of the United States-Egypt partnership in 

10 advancing the common interests of both countries; 


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•SRES 108 IS 

1 (4) hopes that President el-Sisi will highlight in 

2 public statements the value of ties between the 

3 United States and Egypt; 

4 (5) recognizes that Egypt faces legitimate secu5 rity threats and expresses condolences for the loss of 

6 life suffered by the Egyptian people in attacks by 

7 violent extremist organizations; 

8 (6) stands with the Egyptian people as they 

9 confront violent extremism and threats on land and 

10 sea borders; 

11 (7) appreciates Egypt’s regional role as a part12 ner and mediator; 

13 (8) recognizes the necessity for Egypt’s leaders 

14 to take steps toward genuine political reform that 

15 prioritizes human rights, fundamental freedoms, and 

16 the rule of law; 

17 (9) demands the immediate release of unjustly 

18 imprisoned American citizens, including Aya Hijazi, 

19 who has been detained in Egypt since May 2014 on 

20 unsubstantiated charges; 

21 (10) demands an immediate end to the harass22 ment and interference in the operations of inde23 pendent civil society and media organizations in 

24 Egypt, including the closure of Case 173 and the reVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:38 Apr 03, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR108.IS SR108

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•SRES 108 IS 

1 vision of Egypt’s nongovernmental organization law 

2 in accordance with international best practices; 

3 (11) encourages the United States and Egypt 

4 to increase cooperation— 

5 (A) to combat terrorism in a manner con6 sistent with international human rights law; 

7 (B) to promote principles of good govern8 ance; and 

9 (C) to ensure respect for the universal 

10 rights of the Egyptian people; 

11 (12) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

12 States to support the Government of Egypt with as13 sistance, training, and other resources as it combats 

14 terrorism, addresses security in the Sinai Peninsula, 

15 and enhances Egypt’s border security and maritime 

16 security while recognizing the need to monitor secu17 rity assistance to ensure accountability and due 

18 process of law; 

19 (13) clarifies that any proposed restructuring of 

20 United States assistance to Egypt, which is subject 

21 to the approval of Congress, will take into account 

22 progress on meaningful political reform, human 

23 rights, and fundamental freedoms; 

24 (14) congratulates the Egyptian government on 

25 their engagement with the International Monetary 


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1 Fund and their difficult, but necessary, steps to sta2 bilize the economy; 

3 (15) supports Egypt’s economic reform efforts; 

4 (16) calls on the United States Government to 

5 develop a new strategy for joint efforts— 

6 (A) to bolster trade between the United 

7 States and Egypt and investment in the Egyp8 tian private sector; 

9 (B) to combat corruption; and 

10 (C) to promote higher education; and 

11 (17) urges the President of the United States 

12 and the Secretary of State to engage the Egyptian 

13 Government on new ways to advance the bilateral re14 lationship economically, militarily, diplomatically, 

15 and through cultural exchanges, while ensuring re16 spect for the universal rights of the Egyptian people. 

Æ 


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