Egypt NGO Crisis Nears End, Officials Say

RABAT, Morocco -- A senior U.S. official says the Obama administration is in "intense discussions" with Egypt to resolve the legal case against 16 American democracy advocates that has badly damaged ties between the countries "in the coming days"

The official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the matter, said Saturday that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had raised the matter twice in person with Egypt's foreign minister – once in London and once in Tunis – in the past three days and that other senior U.S. officials are actively involved.

The administration has been calling for the case to be resolved for weeks in a manner that allows seven of the implicated Americans who have been barred from leaving to leave the country.

Comments

[gmjonn]

11:19 AM on 02/26/2012

Why is it so hard for us, the poeple and the government of the United States to understand that these people do not like us or our way of life. We should take our people and our money that we give then and go home. When we get home we should take all the money that we spend on supporting countries that do not like us and put it into research to find alternitive fuels and on debt reduction here at home so we are not beholden to these 3rd world countires that really want nothing to with us other than our money.
It is a real sin that we make 3rd world countries relevent on the world stage because of our belief that if we give them enough money they will like us.

[azted123]

09:25 AM on 02/28/2012

If politicians can't handle the job of running our country properly, How in the world do they think that giving billions of dollars to other countries will buy us their loyalties? If the money we give them is to aid the education of their people into our way of life then what we do is a failure. Our management (Congress and Senate) barely can find there way to their offices. There is so much to do in this country and we keep giving our resources away and ignoring our own people's needs. By that I don't mean a free ride, but great education, a good manufacturing base, and restoring the interstructure of this Country.

[David Jeffers]

11:12 AM on 02/26/2012

Wonder how much that cost us...

[Enrique Iglesias]

12:26 PM on 02/26/2012

Hiliary; Show 'em your check book one more time...

[David Jeffers]

12:40 PM on 02/26/2012

It is not the check that is the worst of it...It is leaving the amount blank that is criminal...

[Gayle Williams]

11:01 AM on 02/26/2012

Cut all funds to all of the middle east countries, they hate us and our way of life and personally I think we shoud cut off all aid food medicine and especially all ties with them until the come out of the stone age.

[bldrpartnship]

10:53 AM on 02/26/2012

and we give them how much $, time to stop wasting our money around the world and keep in our own pocketbook

[bcoldpro]

10:43 AM on 02/26/2012

Send in those new fangled black op's helicopters in the dead of night and take them out
by rooftop. And then suspend military support of the Egyptians.
Let them eat a Pyramid!

[goldfox]

02:29 PM on 02/26/2012

Unfortunately all those new fangled black op's helicopters are easily taked down by anyone with a cheap shoulder launched Stinger type surface to air missle. The age of the attack helicopter is pretty much gone by,thanks to American weapons technology.

[MUDPUPTN3]

10:26 AM on 02/26/2012

Guess it'd be too much to ask to ask Obama to send the seals to save them, like "he" sent the seals save the women from the pirates, huh!! LOL!!

[housecheck76]

10:26 AM on 02/26/2012

Reminds me of the Carter days with hostages being taken and a clueless leaderless president bartering for his political life...

[turnaroundpro10]

09:29 AM on 02/26/2012

Failed diplomacy on the part of the US created this mess. The US administration will be falling over itself with "success" once some are released. Release will come, and all the bureaucrats will be patting themselves on the back..

[Enrique Iglesias]

12:28 PM on 02/26/2012

Bingo!

[prncaragorn]

09:28 AM on 02/26/2012

If Mr. O finagles another term (maybe by mass hypnosis) he then appoints all Muslim Brotherhood, followers of Islam, Hamas, Taliban, Hezbollah as his world czars answerable only to him. ( he may have already started this) He can incarcerate everyone who makes over two hundred thousand dollars a year and seize their assets.

[mikesalvi]

08:38 AM on 02/26/2012

You can be sure Hillary's negotiations are all about how much "aid" we are going to give Egypt in consideration for the return of our citizens.

[Enrique Iglesias]

12:31 PM on 02/26/2012

Hey, don't forget we (State Department) spent $80 Million of your Tax Dollars for Mosque Refurbirshment in the Middle East... Nicely done, eh??? Actually a new computer system to allow the Taliban, Hamas and Hezbollah to tie themselves together...

[mimsycat]

08:15 AM on 02/26/2012

Obama has to apologize again because the son of one of his minions is held there. If it were not for that, he would not care about the others.

[azted123]

09:01 AM on 02/26/2012

Any proof of that? Or is this a GOP election group again, Like what happened with Senator Kerry when he ran for President?

[mimsycat]

10:14 AM on 02/26/2012

This will be the election of an american who will not apologize for the US to his muslim brothers. As for proof, one who constantly apologizes and then finds that one of his minions sons is in the country and could die forces this commie to do something. If LaHood was not there, nothing would be done. After all, his father tried,but failed miserably to bring down a good auto company but that is not to say he won't keep trying if his son gets out.

[rrfotobus]

09:32 AM on 02/26/2012

Failed and failing GOP policies tend to bring out the insults by the GOP since they have nothing positive to add nor do they have any clue how to conduct themselves in the world.. Ask Bush.

[AZreb]

08:04 AM on 02/26/2012

A bribe of $1.3 billion a year is what the Egyptian government is concerned about - that is the amount we send to Egypt every year and it will be the cost of getting the US citizens out of the country. That bribe is the only thing we have to negotiate with in this and other cases involving US citizens in other countries. It boils down to money - as usual - our money, our tax dollars.

Yes, get them out and pay the $1 billion+ for this year and then cut off the money. We are spending billions in Afgahnistan and now our military troops are being shot execution-style with weapons we supplied to the Afghan military. Get our troops out of Afghanistan and cut off the money supply there, too.

Sound like an isolationist? Getting to that point, especially since the G20 meeting will discuss "GLOBAL GOVERNANCE" - and that sure sounds like a catch-phrase for "New World Order".

[housecheck76]

10:30 AM on 02/26/2012

Negociate with hostage taking terrorists, give them 1.3 billion to get our people out, isolated and leave the shipping lanes to china and russia to keep open so we might get our food...brillant!

[timber1647]

07:59 AM on 02/26/2012

Hopefully this is just a case of Egypt flexing its new found muscle and these folks will be declared persona non grata and allowed to leave.

[yolosetodo]

07:36 AM on 02/26/2012

"16 American democracy advocates"
Why can we call them what they are.
Government sponsored Christian crusaders set up to propagate Christianity inside muslim countries.
I hope the rot in jail

[kgdtva]

08:19 AM on 02/26/2012

I thought we were tring to help egypt become a free society .Should moslums be put in jail for spreading thier word in a christian nation??

[mimsycat]

08:27 PM on 02/26/2012

yes

[housecheck76]

10:33 AM on 02/26/2012

Egypt was totally Christian in the 4th century...it is Islam that occupies a Christian nation, running the Christians off...also Constantinople has been occupied by Islam since 1453 ad...

Christianity existed 700 years before Islam was founded...explain to me how Islam occupies any nation at all.

[aug3233]

01:32 PM on 02/26/2012

because of the money backing them

[zenju2]

07:35 AM on 02/26/2012

A few hours of Theodore Roosevelt, and those Americans would be home free. Or else.
America needs a REAL Progressive president, Bull Moose-style.

[goldfox]

02:37 PM on 02/26/2012

How much blood of our youth are you ready, willing and prepared to expend to use Teddy Roosevelt politics? Another 5,000 dead, another 30,000 mained permanently? What numbers are acceptable to you?