Egyptian PM defies US over prosecution of aid workers

Egypt’s military-backed prime minister has said it will not halt its crackdown on foreign-funded pro-democracy groups despite “threats” by western and Arab countries to cut off aid.

Egypt’s campaign against pro-democracy and rights groups began late last year with raid by security forces on the organisations’ offices.

On Sunday, Egyptian judges referred 16 Americans and 27 others for trial on allegations that they illegally used foreign funds to foment unrest.

That immediately drew a rebuke from Washington, with American secretary of state Hillary Clinton warning that failure to resolve the dispute could lead to the loss of some $1.5 billion (£950m) in US aid to Egypt.

Despite the warnings from Washington, Kamal el-Ganzouri yesterday told reporters he was “saddened” by the pressure Egypt was facing but insisted authorities “can’t back down or won’t change course because of some aid”.

“Egypt used its legal right to face some violations by civil groups,” he said. “The lofty judiciary moved and discussed and investigated the case … The West then turned against us because Egypt exercised its rights.”

Mr El-Ganzouri also claimed aid pledged by Arab states has also stalled since the dispute with the US began.