Egypt's Cairo Criminal Court started Sunday the trial of 43 workers of domestic and foreign non- governmental organizations (NGO), who were charged with receiving illegal foreign funding and being unlicensed, state Nile TV reported.

The charged people include 19 Americans, five Serbs, two Germans, two Lebanese, One Jordanian, one Palestinian and 14 Egyptians.

The session started at 1:30 p.m. (1130 GMT) amid intensive security measurements outside the court. None of the foreign defendants appeared in the court.

The defendants' lawyers demanded from presiding Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Shokry to postpone the trial as they need to revise all relevant papers.

Some civil lawyers came to submit a demand for permission to defend the defendants.

The judge adjourned the session for consultation at 2:14 p.m. ( 12:14 GMT).

The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute are among the organizations accused of receiving 40 million U.S. dollars over six months.