A visiting delegation of Egyptian military officials, in the United States for a routine tour and consultations, are likely to receive a rough welcome when they arrive on Capitol Hill this week for the last leg of their American venture.
On Sunday, the Egyptian government indicated that they would press ahead with criminal prosecutions in the case of some 40 NGO workers, including 19 Americans, who stand accused of working without proper licensing. Many had been repeatedly rebuffed when attempting to register with Egypt's convoluted bureaucracy in the past.
Officials with the NGOs have denied the charges ever since armed security personnel raided their offices in Cairo in late December.
The visiting military delegation -- part of a regularly scheduled and routine tour of meetings with American governmental officials and defense companies that contract with the Egyptian government -- can expect their reception to be less diplomatic than on previous trips to the Hill. Under normal circumstances, the visits are low-profile affairs, with the delegation meeting staffers or perhaps a legislator from a district hoping to secure a military contract, according to people familiar with the visits.
For more: Egypt's NGO Crackdown May Mean Icy Reception For Military Delegation On Capitol Hill
No comments:
Post a Comment