Lawyer Tharwat Abdel-Shahed said Tuesday that Egypt’s rulers objected to the funds for the groups being deducted from U.S. aid to the government. “This has sparked the government’s anger,” he said Tuesday, putting the total funding directed to the groups at $45 million.
By MAGGIE MICHAEL
Associated Press
CAIRO — Americans facing trial in Egypt over activities of their pro-democracy groups have been caught in a dispute between the U.S. government and Egypt over aid, a lawyer representing the Americans said Tuesday.
In a measure of the depth of the tensions, an Egyptian government delegation abruptly canceled meetings in Washington with U.S. lawmakers set for Monday and Tuesday, after angry American officials warned the clash could jeopardize around $1.5 billion in annual foreign aid to Egypt.
A senior Egyptian official confirmed that the government has objected for years to the U.S. directing part of its aid to pro-democracy and human rights groups, calling the practice illegal and acknowledging that a cut in U.S. aid could follow.
The dispute has led to 19 American workers with the groups facing trial and six banned from leaving Egypt. Among the six is Sam LaHood, son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. A number of Americans have taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Tuesday that he summoned the Egyptian ambassador to protest Cairo’s decision to prosecute two Germans in the case.
The affair began with raids by Egyptian security forces on 17 offices of 10 advocacy groups last month, evoking denunciations from the U.S. and other countries. It also reinforced charges by Egyptian protesters that the military rulers who took over a year ago from ousted President Hosni Mubarak are perpetuating his regime’s oppressive tactics.
The investigation into the work of the nonprofit groups is closely linked to the political turmoil that has engulfed the nation since the ouster of Mubarak, a U.S. ally who ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years.
The military rulers charge that the groups fund and support anti-government protests. The military claims that “foreign hands” are behind the opposition to their rule. They depict the protesters as receiving funds from abroad in a plot to destabilize the country.
Lawyer Tharwat Abdel-Shahed said Tuesday that Egypt’s rulers objected to the funds for the groups being deducted from U.S. aid to the government. “This has sparked the government’s anger,” he said Tuesday, putting the total funding directed to the groups at $45 million.