Egypt, which receives billions in U.S. aid, has effectively put President Bush’s initiative for Middle East democracy on hold, reports the Washington Post:

President Bush’s democracy initiative in the Middle East suffered a serious setback Saturday when the Forum for the Future, an international meeting attended by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, ended without a formal agreement on democracy promotion.

In a surprise move, Egypt, which accounts for more than half the Arab world’s population and is the second-largest recipient of U.S. aid, scuttled the conference by demanding language that would have given Arab governments significant control over which democracy groups receive aid from a new fund.

Last-ditch diplomacy by the United States failed to get Egypt to budge, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit left before the conference broke up.

Egyptian President Mubarak has gotten too used to being dictator-for-life, despite recent domestic elections which he permitted. Makes you wonder about how effective U.S. aid to Egypt has been.