AUC denies spying on Egypt

CAIRO, April 1 (UPI) -- The American University in Cairo issued a denial of reports in the Egyptian media that it has received Pentagon funding to supply Egyptian state secrets.

A report in the Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm said Monday that the university had a $600,000 contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide national security secrets to the U.S. military.

Though vaguely worded, the Egyptian media report said Washington in 2007 offered the contract to AUC to give the U.S. military the right to use the university to collect information about Egypt.

"For the first time, the document reveals that the American University in Cairo won a ($602,500) contract to provide the U.S. Pentagon with information about Egypt," the report said.

Margaret White, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, told al-Arabiya that the contract detailed a transparent arrangement between the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit and ACU to support research on avian flu.

"The relationship between AUC and NAMRU is in keeping with the university's longstanding commitment to teaching, research and service to Egypt," White said.