Workers at a United States pro-democracy group were detained by the United Arab Emirates government, according to a report - a move that echoes a clampdown last month by Egypt that drew criticism from Washington.

Foreign Policy reported that the UAE government detained foreign employees of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and prevented at least one of them from leaving the country.

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It said the director of NDI's Dubai office, Patricia Davis, an American, and her deputy director Slobodon Milic, a Serbian national, were stopped at the Dubai airport by UAE government authorities as they tried to leave the country.

It quoted a State Department spokesman saying Davis’ detention had been brief. There was no word on whether Milic was eventually allowed to leave. There was no immediate response from the department to msnbc.com.

A crackdown on the organization was announced by the UAE last week, coinciding with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s peace visit to the Middle East. The New York Times described that move, and its timing, as “a surprising act of diplomatic defiance”.

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A plane carrying American pro-democracy campaigners and other activists left Egypt on Thursday after a travel ban was lifted, the U.S. State Department confirmed, a move that is likely to defuse the deepest row between Washington and Cairo in decades.

"They have left,'' a Cairo airport official earlier told Reuters, without giving details. A U.S. military plane had been sent to Egypt to take the seven Americans and eight foreign campaigners after they posted bail.

 

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NBC News reported that a State Department official confirmed the group's departure and said they were "en route" to the U.S.

A statement from Secretary Ray LaHood, whose son is among the activists, read: "I'm pleased the court has lifted the travel ban and am looking forward to my son's arrival in the U.S. I'd like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this time."

 

The staff have been charged with operating without a license and using illegal foreign funds to foment unrest.

The reported end of the travel ban comes four days after an Egyptian court adjourned the trial of 16 Americans and 27 others -- a mixture of other foreigners and Egyptians -- until April 26. Of the 16 Americans charged in the case, seven had been banned from leaving Egypt, including Sam LaHood, Egypt director of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the son of the U.S. transportation secretary.

In Washington, the IRI on Thursday welcomed news of Egypt's decision to lift travel bans imposed on its staff, but said it remained concerned about the situation "and the impact it will have on Egypt's ability to move forward with the democratic transition that so many Egyptians have sought."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who recently visited Egypt in the hope of resolving the stand-off, issued a statement on Thursday saying he was "pleased and relieved" that these individuals are now able to return home to their families.

"At the same time, we remain concerned about the fate of the many Egyptian employees who have worked for these NGOs and who remain in Egypt, where they are still subject to trial," he added. "We will continue to advocate for the rights of these Egyptian NGO workers, who have done no wrong."

Cairo court adjourns trial of NGO workers

Rights campaigners say the case is retaliation by Egypt's ruling generals against pro-democracy groups that have been among the army's harshest critics since it took power when Hosni Mubarak was overthrown a year ago.

The U.S. pro-democracy groups whose staff have been charged deny they have done anything illegal. They say the crackdown is an attempt by Egypt's military rulers to derail democracy.

The case has severely strained Cairo's relations with Washington, and U.S. officials have threatened to cut off $1.5 billion in aid to Egypt if the dispute is not resolved.

Egypt says the case is a judicial matter and all groups must heed Egyptian law.

Some Egyptian officials have linked the funding of civil society initiatives to a U.S. plot to undermine Egypt's sovereignty — accusations the United States and the civil society workers deny.

The crisis escalated on Dec. 29 when Egyptian authority swooped the offices of the IRI and the National Democratic Institute, confiscating documents and computers and cash on the premises.

The government and the ruling military council say the case was initiated by the judiciary and is out of their hands.

Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

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Egypt on Wednesday lifted a travel ban on seven Americans being tried on charges that the pro-democracy groups they worked for fomented unrest with illegal foreign funding.

But according to an Egyptian lawyer representing one of the groups, the Americans and other foreign workers would only be allowed to travel after each defendant posts bail of 2 million Egyptian pounds (approximately $300,000 U.S.), NBC News Cairo Correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin reported.

Still, the shift could signal an end to the worst crisis in relations between Egypt and the U.S. in 30 years.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also said Wednesday she expected the row over the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to be resolved "in the very near future," but said the U.S. does not have confirmation that the travel ban has been lifted.

"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.''

U.S. officials have said $1.3 billion in annual military aid has been put at risk by the case.

Cairo court adjourns trial of NGO workers

It was not immediately clear when any of the activists involved would leave the country. Sixteen of the 43 people facing charges are Americans. Seven Americans are in Egypt and some of those have sought refuge in the U.S. embassy.

"The assistant to the attorney general, following a request from the investigating judges, has issued an order to lift the ban," a judicial source close to the proceedings told Reuters, adding the charges have not been dropped against any of those involved.

Judge Abdel Moez Ibrahim, head of the Cairo Appeals Court who appoints judges to the case, also confirmed to Reuters that a decision had been taken to lift the travel ban.

Asked for the nationalities of those affected by the decision, he said: "All of them are Americans."

The U.S. embassy had no immediate comment. The Egyptian military also had no comment on the case.

Clinton: Resolution likely 'in very near future'
"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.

The NGO workers also include Egyptians, Serbs, Norwegians and Germans. They have been accused of receiving foreign funds without the approval of the Egyptian authorities.

The workers are also alleged to have carried out political activities unrelated to their work and accused of 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.

Washington ties with Cairo have been a cornerstone of its Middle East policy since Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel.

Two of the groups involved, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), are loosely affiliated with the major U.S. political parties and one of the accused, IRI Egypt Director Sam LaHood, is the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The first session of the court took place Sunday and was adjourned to April 26. That adjournment had raised hopes among activists' supporters that the case could be dropped to spare further damage to Egypt's ties with its ally.

A day before the decision to lift the travel ban, the Egyptian judge who had handled the trial resigned without giving any reasons.

Ayman Mohyeldin, NBC News Cairo correspondent, as well as Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Nineteen U.S. citizens, including the son of U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood, have been referred for trial in Egypt in a dispute over the activities and funding of pro-democracy groups, judicial sources said on Saturday, deepening a row with the United States.

Washington has strongly criticized the crackdown on the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and an unspecified number of U.S. citizens involved have sought shelter in the U.S. embassy.

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Egypt, among the largest recipients of U.S. aid since its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, has been told by U.S. lawmakers assistance may be cut because of its treatment of the groups.

Several U.S. citizens and other foreigners involved have been barred from leaving Egypt. They include Sam LaHood, the country director of the International Republican Institute who is the son of the U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

"The cases of 40 foreign and Egyptian suspects have been transferred to the Cairo criminal court related to foreign funding," a judicial source told Reuters. State news agency MENA also carried the report.

• Related: Egypt's 'war on democracy' threatens US ties

Egyptian officials say the crackdown is part of a probe into foreign funding of NGOs. But civil society groups say the ruling military council ordered the raids to harass activists who were at the forefront of the anti-Mubarak revolt and have been pressing for the army to swiftly hand power to civilians.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday a crackdown by Egypt's military rulers on U.S. and local pro-democracy groups could jeopardize aid for the Arab nation.

The 40 NGO activists include 19 Americans alongside others who are Serbian, Norwegian, Lebanese as well as Egyptian, according to a statement issued by judges overseeing the probe and seen by Reuters. One judge involved said the list included LaHood.

• Related: Egypt stops US transportation secretary's son, three others, from leaving country

The charge listed in the statement was "running organizations without getting the required licenses." One of the judges running the investigation said that investigations were continuing with Egyptians in other similar cases.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr told Clinton during his meeting with her that all groups, regardless of country of origin, had to abide by Egypt's laws on registration, the ministry's spokesman Amr Rushdy said in a statement.

The National Democratic Institute, one of the U.S.-funded groups whose staff are facing travel bans, said it began work in 2005 and sought to register the same year but after responding to some official queries after that no progress was made.

However, the group says it has operated openly since then, engaging with officials regularly.

Reuters and msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.

Several American citizens have taken shelter in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo amid a sharpening dispute between Washington and Egypt's military-led authorities over U.S.-funded pro-democracy groups in the country, the State Department said on Monday.

"We can confirm that a handful of U.S. citizens have opted to stay in the embassy compound in Cairo while waiting for permission to depart Egypt," State Department spokeswoman Kate Starr said.

According to The New York Times, colleagues confirmed at least two American citizens were being protected at the embassy from potential arrest.

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The unusual step of offering U.S. citizens diplomatic refuge follows Cairo's crackdown on non-governmental organizations, including several funded by the U.S. government, which saw travel bans imposed on six American staffers including a son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

State Department officials said they did not believe the Americans were in any physical danger, but said they had "concerns given the fact that they want to leave the country and were disallowed."

"There is no expectation any of these individuals are seeking to avoid any kind of judicial process," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said. "Our view is that these people ought to be able to travel freely, that we need to expedite the process of whatever kind of formal registration is ultimately going to be allowed for them, if their property needs to be returned, and that it is in the interest of Egypt's democratic transition not only for international democracy NGOs to be able to operate but for Egyptian democracy NGOs to be able to operate, and that they have already played a strong role in supporting the good elections that have already taken place, and there are more elections coming up."

Raids and crackdown
Egyptian police first raided the groups in late December as part of an investigation into foreign funding of 17 pro-democracy and human rights groups, part of what civil society groups say has been a broader crackdown on critics of the army's heavy-handed tactics in dealing with street unrest.

Washington has strongly criticized the Egyptian move, which has cast a pall over U.S.-Egypt relations as the most populous Arab nation reaches a critical stage in its uncertain transition away from authoritarian rule.

Leading U.S. lawmakers have also voiced outrage over the incident, and American officials have repeatedly warned that Washington may have to take a fresh look at U.S. aid to Egypt's military, which now runs about $1.3 billion per year.

The six U.S. citizens hit with travel bans work with the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute. Both receive U.S. public funding and are loosely affiliated with the two major political parties in Washington.

The State Department did not provide details on the Americans sheltering in the embassy, although officials at the NDI said none of their staff had been relocated.

U.S. officials said an Egyptian military delegation was expected in Washington this week for regular talks, which are nevertheless expected to focus in large part on the impasse over the NGOs.

U.S. expresses concern over restrictions
President Barack Obama spoke with the head of Egypt's ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, on January 20 and stressed the importance of the NGOs, as well as Egypt's request for $3.2 billion in support from the International Monetary Fund.

In a weekend call to Tantawi, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged the Egyptians to take steps to lift the travel ban on Americans wishing to leave the country, and expressed concern over restrictions placed on NGOs, the Pentagon said.

The Obama administration is finalizing its budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which will be presented on February 13 and is expected to include continued assistance for Egypt's military, albeit subject to new conditions imposed by U.S. lawmakers.

Those include evidence that Egyptian military authorities are committed to holding free and fair elections and implementing policies to protect freedom of expression, association, and religion, and due process of law.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.