Germany threatens to cut Egypt aid over violence
Germany threatened to reduce aid to Egypt if authorities do not ease off a crackdown against demonstrators who want to oust President Hosni Mubarak, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Saturday.
Egypt is one of the largest recipients of German development aid, according to the Foreign Ministry website, with some 5.5 billion euros sent to Egypt since the 1960s and more than 200 million euros pledged last June for the next two years. "Our appeal to the Egyptian government is clear: abandon all forms of violence and (support) the right to demonstrate," Westerwelle said. "Germany stands on the side of freedom of expression and democracy." (Reuters)
