McCain chides Egypt’s Morsi over remarks on Jews

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, urged Mr. Morsi to finalize the talks with the IMF to ease the flow of U.S. assistance.

“The Egyptian economy is going to collapse if something is not done quickly,” he said. “We urge the president, Morsi, and he understands this, to get an agreement with the IMF.

“It is very difficult for American taxpayers to invest in a country that the IMF would not give a loan. So, one, the quicker that they can get IMF approval, the easier it is for the aid to flow,” he said.

The senators said they also pressed Mr. Morsi on addressing the criticism by his opponents over the recently adopted constitution, saying that women and minority rights must be protected. They also called for allowing international observers to monitor Egypt’s upcoming parliamentary elections, likely to be held this spring.

Mr. Graham said that despite U.S. economic troubles, he would urge American investors to come to Egypt but that the Egyptians must “showcase their best behavior” to attract them.

“You are going to have to explain to the world that there is a process to amend the constitution,” he said.

Other senators also raised concern about the deteriorating security situation in Sinai, saying they raised the issue during their meeting with Mr. Morsi and Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, said that Sinai security is not only for the security of Egypt and Israel but also aimed at depriving terrorists from a safe haven and stopping human trafficking.

He said that, in the quest for better security in Sinai and relations with Israel, he will work encourage cooperation in training and sharing of skills. The U.S. has been committed to an annual package of $1.3 billion military assistance to Egypt since it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.