Egypt's independent lawmaker Kamal Ahmed on Saturday criticized U.S. ambassador to Egypt Francis Ricciardone for his remarks about Washington's ties with Egypt, the official MENA news agency reported.

According to MENA, Ahmed quoted the U.S. ambassador as saying that since the U.S. government was paying funds to Egypt, the Egyptian government should be working to achieve U.S. interests.

Ricciardone also described the Egyptian opposition as "opportunist," said the report.

"The U.S. ambassador must respect Egypt's sovereignty and realize that the Egyptian people would not accept such insults," MENA quoted Ahmed as saying.

Ahmed Fathi Sorour, speaker of the Egyptian People's Assembly, or lower house, has asked the Egyptian government to answer questions raised by lawmakers about Ricciardone's remarks.

Moufeed Shebah, Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils, said that the Egyptian government would not tolerate the violation of Egypt's sovereignty or interference in its internal affairs, MENA said.

Egypt is a major U.S. ally in the Middle East and a leading recipient of U.S. economic and military aid.

Egypt accepts an annual U.S. aid worth nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars, according to figures released by the U.S. authorities.

Since 1979, Egypt has received more than 60 billion dollars, including 34 billion dollars in foreign military financing credits to buy U.S. materials and services.

Source: Xinhua