U.S. cannot confirm if Egypt travel ban on American NGO workers lifted

The United States does not have confirmation that a travel ban against U.S. pro-democracy workers in Egypt has been lifted, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday.

“We do not have confirmation that the travel ban has been lifted. We hope that it will be, and we will continue to work toward that,” Clinton told U.S. lawmakers. “The reporting is encouraging but we have no confirmation.”

But she added: “The reporting is encouraging.”

Earlier, judicial sources announced Egypt will lift a travel ban preventing the Americans from leaving the country.

If effective, the move is likely to defuse a standoff that has plunged U.S.-Egyptian ties into a crisis, which Clinton had earlier said could soon be resolved.

“The assistant to the attorney general, following a request from the investigating judges, has issued an order to lift the ban,” an Egyptian judicial source said according to Reuters news agency, adding that charges had not been dropped against any of those involved.

However, it was not immediately clear when any of the activists involved in the case would leave the country. Sixteen of the 43 people facing charges are Americans. Some of them are not in Egypt and some others have sought refuge in the U.S. embassy.

Meanwhile, Clinton had said early Wednesday she believed the United States and Egypt will soon resolve a dispute over U.S. pro-democracy workers accused of violating Egyptian laws.

“We believe we will resolve this issue concerning our NGOs in the very near future. That is my best assessment sitting here today,” Clinton told U.S. lawmakers when asked about the case, which involves 43 foreign and Egyptian workers for non-governmental organizations.

U.S. officials have made clear that the $1.3 billion in annual military aid to Egypt has been put at risk by the case, in which the NGO workers have been accused of receiving illegal foreign funds. The 43 include 16 U.S. citizens, seven of whom are in Egypt.

The workers are also alleged to have carried out political activities unrelated to their work and failing to obtain necessary operating licenses. The NGOs say they have long sought to register in Egypt and describe the crackdown as part of a wave of repression against civil society by the generals who took power after President Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow last year.

If the case drags on, it could cause longer-term damage in U.S. relations with Egypt, which has been a pillar of Washington’s alliances in the Arab world and, along with Jordan, is the only Arab country to have a peace treaty with Israel.

The diplomatic timing is also tricky. With Egyptian prosecution lawyers airing espionage accusations, the country gearing up for a presidential election before the end of June and the U.S. Congress already questioning continued aid to Egypt, many analysts say the case could veer even more wildly off track if it is not stopped in coming weeks.

“The chances that the United States and Egypt will have a breach over aid have gone up,” said Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

“What also seems obvious is that this case is going to continue, and may actually reach its climax in the midst of the Egyptian presidential election. The idea of a smooth, face-saving resolution seems to be retreating.”