MUNICH - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday a crackdown by Egypt's military rulers on US and local pro-democracy groups could jeopardize aid for the Arab nation.
Egypt, among the largest recipients of US aid since its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, has been told by US lawmakers assistance may be cut because of its treatment of the groups, some of whose US staff have been barred from leaving the country and have taken refuge in the US embassy in Cairo."We are very clear that there are problems that arise from this situation that can impact all the rest of our relationship with Egypt. We do not want that," Clinton told reporters in Munich where she met Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr on the sidelines of an international security conference.
"We have worked very hard the last year to put in place financial assistance and other support for the economic and political reforms that are occurring in Egypt and we will have to closely review these matters as it comes time for us to certify whether or not any of these funds from our government can be made available under these circumstances."
