Will Egypt’s decision to reset the date for the trial of aid workers accused of fraud to late April further strain the country’s relationship with the United States?
A number of analysts believe so. Robert Satloff of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, for instance, says there is now a higher chance the United States and Egypt “will have a breach over aid.” Satloff adds that because the case overlaps with the Egyptian presidential election, “the idea of a smooth, face-saving resolution seems to be retreating,” Reuters reports.
Some experts, however, cautiously welcomed Egypt’s decision, saying the country could have opted for more drastic measures such as order the arrest of the aid workers. But even these experts have doubts over whether the case will be resolved.
“It seems as though a solution is not yet on the horizon, and I am starting to wonder whether the military-led government is capable of resolving it,” Michele Dunne, head of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the U.S.-based Atlantic Council, told Reuters.
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