German Embassy in Egypt hailed an agreement under which German NGOs would be allowed to resume activities in Egypt, according to a statement released on Friday. The agreement was signed between German foreign ministry commissioner for Middle East affairs, Philipp Ackermann, and Egypt's ambassador to Berlin, Badr Abdel-Ati. German ambassador to Cairo, Julius Georg Luy hailed this step as "the first and most important one" to resume the German institutions' work in Egypt. He also hoped the agreement would take effect without any obstacles for the benefit of the two countries. The protocol of 1959 signed between the Egyptian and German governments will be the legal frame of German institutions' work in Egypt. According to the agreement, the Egyptian and German parties will reach a solution to a 2011 Cairo court jail sentence against two of German institute Konrad Adenauer employees. The case was known in media as ‘foreign organizations in Egypt. The work of German NGOs in Egypt was on the negotiation table between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, during her last visit to Egypt in early March. Controversy over the agreement emerged among Egyptian human rights defenders. Member of National Council for Human Rights, George Isaac, called on the government to generalize the decision on all NGOs in Egypt and treat all NGOs, especially the Egyptian ones, on an equal foot. Executive Director of Women's Center for Counseling and Legal Awareness, Reda el-Danbouky said he is not optimistic about the agreement, fearing that it will be a new pretext to tighten restrictions on NGOs in general. "There will not be justice in dealing with NGOs; they have to be European or American to get permission to work in Egypt," el-Danbouky told Masr al-Arabia news website. In 2011, foreign NGOs in Egypt were investigated by the Egyptian general prosecution. Among these NGOs were foreign workers who closed their organizations and returned to their countries.
