MMC
01-26-2012, 03:33 PM
Sam LaHood, the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the head of the International Republican Institute's (IRI) Cairo office, was blocked from departing Egypt earlier this week. He, along with a dozen other American NGO colleagues, have been placed on an Egyptian "no-fly" list, officials with IRI told Yahoo News Thursday.
President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, and Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), the chairman of IRI, "have all been calling, they have all had very honest conversations with Egyptian leaders," Craner said. "And not only is nothing getting better, things are getting worse."
"We are all scratching our heads over here," Craner continued. "I did two tours at State and one at the NSC. If the president called someone, something gets worked out."
The White House and State Department acknowledged ongoing efforts to try to resolve the matter.
"Several US citizens have been questioned by judges in connection with the Egyptian government's investigation of NGOs and are currently restricted from leaving Egypt," a State Department official told Yahoo News Thursday. "We are working with the Government of Egypt to lift the travel restrictions and allow these individuals to come home as quickly as possible.
Last month, Egyptian police raided (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/envoy/egypt-raids-17-ngos-165540605.html) the Cairo offices of IRI and several other NGOs, including the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute and Freedom House, confiscating records and computers. The raids were ordered by the Egyptian prosecutors' office, which is purportedly investigating alleged foreign funding of NGOs operating in the country.
Middle East analysts note the irony of Egyptian prosecutors investigating whether the NGOs receive foreign funding, given the fact the U.S. government gives billions of dollars in military aid to Egypt. Other NGO officials suggested the problem is that the groups were not properly registered in Egypt, though IRI had been officially invited to send international monitors to observe Egypt's recent parliament elections.....snip~
Egypt.....Arab Spring, Democracy, attacks on women, attacks on foreign women reporters. US women journalists, raid US NGO offices both Democratic and Repulican NGO's. Take equipment and records and now are preventing US Citizens from leaving Egypt.
Taking a Call from the President of the US and Doing Nothing!!!!! How much more does Obama need to be shown that the MB could not be trusted. That the Egyptians Military could not be trusted. Think others around Egypt are not taking notice of this. Dangling the S.O.S. and the S.O.D. is one thing. But to Put the our Presdient on hold after he has made a call telling them hey, let my people go. Egypt is nothing more than one big FAILURE!
So they haven't taken our Embassy.......but they will hold our people and take our records and equipment. Refuse to let them go. Sure sounds like Prisoners to me.....and taken by an alleged ally!!!!!
President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, and Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), the chairman of IRI, "have all been calling, they have all had very honest conversations with Egyptian leaders," Craner said. "And not only is nothing getting better, things are getting worse."
"We are all scratching our heads over here," Craner continued. "I did two tours at State and one at the NSC. If the president called someone, something gets worked out."
The White House and State Department acknowledged ongoing efforts to try to resolve the matter.
"Several US citizens have been questioned by judges in connection with the Egyptian government's investigation of NGOs and are currently restricted from leaving Egypt," a State Department official told Yahoo News Thursday. "We are working with the Government of Egypt to lift the travel restrictions and allow these individuals to come home as quickly as possible.
Last month, Egyptian police raided (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/envoy/egypt-raids-17-ngos-165540605.html) the Cairo offices of IRI and several other NGOs, including the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute and Freedom House, confiscating records and computers. The raids were ordered by the Egyptian prosecutors' office, which is purportedly investigating alleged foreign funding of NGOs operating in the country.
Middle East analysts note the irony of Egyptian prosecutors investigating whether the NGOs receive foreign funding, given the fact the U.S. government gives billions of dollars in military aid to Egypt. Other NGO officials suggested the problem is that the groups were not properly registered in Egypt, though IRI had been officially invited to send international monitors to observe Egypt's recent parliament elections.....snip~
Egypt.....Arab Spring, Democracy, attacks on women, attacks on foreign women reporters. US women journalists, raid US NGO offices both Democratic and Repulican NGO's. Take equipment and records and now are preventing US Citizens from leaving Egypt.
Taking a Call from the President of the US and Doing Nothing!!!!! How much more does Obama need to be shown that the MB could not be trusted. That the Egyptians Military could not be trusted. Think others around Egypt are not taking notice of this. Dangling the S.O.S. and the S.O.D. is one thing. But to Put the our Presdient on hold after he has made a call telling them hey, let my people go. Egypt is nothing more than one big FAILURE!
So they haven't taken our Embassy.......but they will hold our people and take our records and equipment. Refuse to let them go. Sure sounds like Prisoners to me.....and taken by an alleged ally!!!!!