U.S. aid to Egypt could suffer if Egypt persists in prosecuting 43 people, including 19 Americans, in a crackdown on nongovernmental organizations, White House and State Department officials said Monday.
"We have underscored how serious a problem these actions are. We have said clearly that these actions could have consequences for our relationship, including regarding our assistance programs," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland reiterated the message moments later in a separate briefing. She declined to speculate about possible consequences but said the dispute "is a very, very difficult situation in terms of the support we want to provide Egypt."
Egyptian authorities carried out 17 raids on the offices of 10 NGOs in December. A spokesman with the general prosecutor's office said the raids were part of an investigation into allegations that the groups had received illegal foreign financing and were operating without a proper license.
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WHAT assisstance programs is the US provide for this country now? Maybe if we stopped assissting these 3rd world country our own might not BECOME one also!
I agree.
Whatinth'hell are groups sponsored by POLITICAL parties doing there ? Partisan missionary work ? These aren't government sponsored aid missions, they are private under takings. Sometimes I am amazed at the stupidity of those people who throw themseles in harms way blindly. "NGO" non-governmental organization...crap, even the CIA quit using that dodge.
Do we actually know what these NGO's do in Egypt? I mean having a Republican sponsored NGO and a Democratic Sponsored NGO in the same country. Kinda makes you wonder what their motives and goals are. If I were Egyptian, I'd sure want to know!
ya think ? How would we react if the Baath party in Iraq sponsored an "NGO" in New York ?
She blinded me...with science....
It's poetry in motion
She turned her tender eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
Mmm – but she blinded me with science
"She blinded me with science!"
And failed me in biology
@Mary:
Thomas Dolby!
Great song!
Thanks, it's running through my head now...lol...
Obama should send Colin Powell over to Cairo to talk to the generals. He'll straighten them out
Taalk to the Colonels....history shows that in Egypt , Generals are figureheads , Colonels hold power and become President
The US military isn't very fond of Powell after he revealed some classified information. His carrier is over and has been for awhile now.
so it's a diplomatic,but imaginary and theoretical,mission.....the thesis John put forward is valid
Who are these NGO's and what kind of assistance is being provided? Ms. Nuland is using the phrase "wants to provide" which seems to contradict the topic of the article.
all these tubes and wires.....
Yeah and any DEVO song lol
it wouldn't pay to be an american in egypt right now..
I am an Egyptian, and for good relations with the US. Egypt benefits from US aid and the US benefits from having a strong ally in the region including safeguarding its vital oil supplies in the region, priority passage for its warships in the Suez canal and maintaining the peace treaty with Israel. Our military's supreme council of the armed forces (SCAF) who is governing Egypt at the moment is not popular among its own people and is going out of power soon so it is trying to pick a fight with the US by selling false patriotism to Egyptians. I think the US should exercise restraint at the moment and wait to see the upcoming government. In the meantime the US should try being less bias to Israel in order not to give ammunitions to SCAF and the anti-American camp in Egypt, and really, for decades the Palestinians have been having a humanitarian crisis which is the main cause of resentment to the US in the region making selling democracy to Egypt by American NGOs rather unbelievable.
I really appreciate your response, and wish you a strong and healthy democratic Egypt in the future. As for the Iraeli/Palestinean crisis, I believe that all your life you have heard only one side of the story, as have we – the opposite side. We have heard of almost nothing but continual suicide bombings by Palestinians in crowded cafe's and the like. You have (probably) heard of nothing but continual brutal crackdowns. I believe all of this violence is exaggerated. Do you remember last year when Israel was accused of boarding an unarmed ship and killing all its inhabitants in cold blood, only to have a video surface that showed that when the Israeli's boarded the ship (which was in-fact carrying weapons to be used against Israel), they (the Israeli's) were brutally attacked and then they killed – like- 2 people in clear self defense. Palestinians say that the Israeli's are using are using bulliets while they are only throwing rocks - but you know what - you can kill people with rocks,
The Conflict is really just a religious fight by a relatively small percentage of the woirld's Jews and Muslims over the wall to the old ciity, and I believe this tiny land has commanded enough of the world's attention. Remember that Arafat was offered everything back except this – and he declined. For this wall, 100,000 of your own countrymen died in six days. How was this worth it? It's time to refocus on your own people and wondrous country, and make it once again the light of the world.