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Cabinet minister: US sought chaos in Egypt
Source: Agencies |
February 15, 2012, Wednesday
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AN Egyptian Cabinet minister has accused the United States of directly funding nonprofit groups to create chaos in the country following last year's ouster of longtime leader and US ally Hosni Mubarak.
International Cooperation Minister Faiza Aboul Naga made the remarks in a testimony she gave in October to judges investigating allegations the groups used foreign funds to foment unrest.
Aboul Naga, a leftover from the Mubarak regime who has served in three interim governments formed since his ousting, has been leading the crackdown on foreign groups.
Authorities last week referred 43 employees of nonprofit groups, including at least 16 Americans, to trial before a criminal court.
The Americans include Sam LaHood, son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. All 43 are banned from travel. No date has been set for their trial.
The crisis has soured relations between Egypt and the US, which has threatened to cut off aid to Egypt - US$1.5 billion a year in military and economic assistance - if the issue was not resolved.
Aboul Naga said international and regional powers did not want Egypt to prosper following Mubarak's ousting, so they resorted to the creation of chaos.
"But the United States and Israel could not directly create and sustain a state of chaos, so they used direct funding, especially American, as the means to reach those goals," she was quoted as saying by Egyptian newspapers yesterday.
She also claimed that some of the money came from the US economic assistance to Egypt - currently US$250 million a year.
Aboul Naga claimed Washington directly and illegally funded the nonprofit groups in what amounted to an interference in Egypt's internal affairs.
"Evidence shows the existence of a clear and determined wish to abort any chance for Egypt to rise as a modern and democratic state with a strong economy since that will pose the biggest threat to American and Israeli interests, not only in Egypt, but in the whole region," she was quoted as saying.
The allegations are tied to the turmoil roiling Egypt for the past year. The generals who took over from Mubarak when a popular uprising forced him to step down a year ago have accused the pro-democracy groups behind their predecessor's overthrow of following a "foreign agenda" and seeking to plunge Egypt into chaos.
The Egyptian military has been the recipient of US$1.3 billion in annual US aid. America's top soldier, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsey, held talks with the ruling generals last weekend in Cairo, but appeared to have made little progress on the issue.
"But we've got some work to do," Dempsey said, "and so do they."
International Cooperation Minister Faiza Aboul Naga made the remarks in a testimony she gave in October to judges investigating allegations the groups used foreign funds to foment unrest.
Aboul Naga, a leftover from the Mubarak regime who has served in three interim governments formed since his ousting, has been leading the crackdown on foreign groups.
Authorities last week referred 43 employees of nonprofit groups, including at least 16 Americans, to trial before a criminal court.
The Americans include Sam LaHood, son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. All 43 are banned from travel. No date has been set for their trial.
The crisis has soured relations between Egypt and the US, which has threatened to cut off aid to Egypt - US$1.5 billion a year in military and economic assistance - if the issue was not resolved.
Aboul Naga said international and regional powers did not want Egypt to prosper following Mubarak's ousting, so they resorted to the creation of chaos.
"But the United States and Israel could not directly create and sustain a state of chaos, so they used direct funding, especially American, as the means to reach those goals," she was quoted as saying by Egyptian newspapers yesterday.
She also claimed that some of the money came from the US economic assistance to Egypt - currently US$250 million a year.
Aboul Naga claimed Washington directly and illegally funded the nonprofit groups in what amounted to an interference in Egypt's internal affairs.
"Evidence shows the existence of a clear and determined wish to abort any chance for Egypt to rise as a modern and democratic state with a strong economy since that will pose the biggest threat to American and Israeli interests, not only in Egypt, but in the whole region," she was quoted as saying.
The allegations are tied to the turmoil roiling Egypt for the past year. The generals who took over from Mubarak when a popular uprising forced him to step down a year ago have accused the pro-democracy groups behind their predecessor's overthrow of following a "foreign agenda" and seeking to plunge Egypt into chaos.
The Egyptian military has been the recipient of US$1.3 billion in annual US aid. America's top soldier, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsey, held talks with the ruling generals last weekend in Cairo, but appeared to have made little progress on the issue.
"But we've got some work to do," Dempsey said, "and so do they."
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