US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday gave the green light to US military aid to Egypt despite concerns that Cairo was not meeting goals in its democratic transition, dpa reported.
Clinton waived conditions placed on the 1.3-billion-dollars of aid by Congress - that had insisted Egypt meet certain democratic reforms before being granted the funds - saying the move was in the United States' national interest.
"These decisions reflect America's over-arching goal: to maintain our strategic partnership with an Egypt made stronger and more stable by a successful transition to democracy," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.
Nuland pointing to progress made in elections, but said the US remained concerned about protection for non-governmental organizations and other issues.
"Egypt's transition to democracy is not yet complete, and more work remains to protect universal rights and freedoms. The Egyptian people themselves have made this clear to their own leaders," she said.