In a commentary in the semi-official Al-Ahram on 20 June, Salah-al-Din Hafiz described the bill as "blackmail", drawing a link between it and Egypt's regional role. He said that the USA expected Egypt to "rush to its support" after "many files have caught fire in the region", but Egypt's response was either "concealed rejection" or "a polite apology with no desire to reach the level of a direct clash". Egypt's official news agency, MENA, on 15 June carried an exclusive statement from Egyptian Ambassador to the USA Nabil Fahmi in which he stressed that the US aid to Egypt "is not an endowment" but "investment of US interests in the Middle East region". Fahmi affirmed that Egypt would not accept "any foreign interference", and that what he described as "arm-twisting policy" was "rejected". In a commentary on the independent Al-Misriyun website, www.almesryoon.com, on 1 July, Ashraf Muhammad Dawwabah wrote: "The elimination of one corruption case in Egypt can spare Egypt the need to stretch out its hand and succumb to the conditions of this aid." He added that "Egypt does not lack resources" but lacks "a good example, clean hands, good use of resources and fair distribution of wealth". "Is it time for us to be weaned off the US aid, renounce the culture of subordination and abide by our Islamic values as well as depend on ourselves and our resources?" he concluded.