CAIRO: USAID's director in Egypt, Jim Bever, has left his post in the country, in a surprise move, the US Embassy in Cairo reported. According to the embassy, Bever flew back to Washington on Thursday, less than one year after taking the post, amid rising tension between the US government and the ruling military junta in the country, which has lashed out at American funding efforts in Egypt. His exodus came only one day after US President Barack Obama's administration criticized the Egyptian government for increasing anti-American sentiment in the country. A US Embassy statement said Bever will be “returning to Washington to take on new responsibilities and prepare for his next deployment.” It did not give reasons why his tour in Egypt was cut short. Egypt's military leaders have become outspoken against foreign aid, singling out the United States for its financial support of human rights organizations in the country. Bever had been at the center of the dispute with the military since March, when USAID invited local NGOs to apply for American funding. According to local reports, the American aid arm has delivered millions of dollars to local Egyptian NGOs since the January uprising ousted the former government. In Washington last month, Mohammed al-Assar, a member of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), criticized the United States for funding pro-democracy groups without submitting to Egyptian government supervision. He said it “violated Egyptian laws” for funding non-governmental organizations. “It is a matter of sovereignty,” he said. Elizabeth Colton, spokeswoman for the American Embassy in Egypt, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the US is not interfering in Egypt's politics. “Egyptian groups that apply for and receive grants from the United States are engaged in activities that are politically neutral. No funds are provided to political parties,” she said. Earlier this month, Bikyamasr.com reported that military police were allegedly behind rumors that they had called on citizens to “hand over” foreigners, accusing them of being spies, which has heightened tension among foreigners and life in Egypt. It came after the Egyptian military accused a number of political groups and movements of being foreigner “traitors” who accepted financial support from abroad. While it could not be confirmed that the military police were indeed attempting to round up foreigners, the rising number of foreigners reporting being questioned over their reasons for being in the country has seen the US government speak out on the matter. “Let me say with regard to this kind of anti-Americanism that's creeping into the Egyptian public discourse, we are concerned,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters on Wednesday in Washington. “We've expressed these concerns to the Egyptian government. We think this kind of representation of the United States is not only inaccurate, it's unfair.” But Nuland was careful to stress Washington's “strong” support for Egypt's democratic transition. “We will continue to be there for Egypt,” she said. After initial US ambivalence toward pro-democracy protests that erupted in Egypt on January 25, the United States backed the February 11 ouster of president Hosni Mubarak. It then supported a transition to democracy guided by the military. Many foreigners have talked about leaving the country after finding it difficult to renew their visas and being questioned by police on a daily basis. It is likely to impact tourism, one of Egypt's top sources for income. “I have almost had enough with how things are going,” said one American studying Arabic in Cairo. He asked not to be named due to his continued attempt to renew his visa, “but it just isn't working out too much and police harass me and have even come to my house to ask questions. I don't like it and this isn't Egypt.” BM
