sentences:  The Egyptian Council of State, after van Agt's visit to Cairo in 2006, ruled on 18 February 2007 that the Center should be recognized as an NGO under Egyptian law, ending its three-year struggle to obtain this status.Egypt is known for its reluctance in granting NGO status in order to discourage political participation.Cornelis Hulsman, a Dutch sociologist, the editor-in-chief of Arab-West Report, and the head of CAWU, stated that van Agt's effort significantly impacted the realization of their goals, which usually requires a lengthy amount of time and scrutiny in its political purposes.