EU partly halts sales of arms to Egypt

EU countries have punished the Egyptian army for massacring Muslim Brotherhood protesters by stopping sales of items "which might be used for internal repression."

They said other arms exports, and joint security projects, can go ahead, with each member state free to review and reassess which ones it wants to pursue.

EU countries also plan to review the financial aid to Egypt.

They noted that payments for schemes designed to help NGOs and vulnerable groups such as women in rural areas, will nonetheless go ahead.

The decisions came after yesterday's emergency meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, in reaction to the Egyptian military's crackdown last week.

The violence saw soldiers kill at least 800 protesters, some of whom were burned alive in tents or shot by snipers. On the other side, Muslim brothers killed some 40 members of the security forces and destroyed Coptic churches and public buildings.

Wednesday's EU statement called for a "democratic" and "inclusive" solution to the crisis.

For her part, EU foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton said twice she is personally willing to go to Cairo if it would help.

"We want to continue to be able to have a strong relationship with Egypt … and if we could be of any assistance, we would do so," she said.

British foreign minister William Hague voiced the EU's dilemma, saying it had to show the army there are "consequences" for its actions, but "not to take sides," if it is to have a peace building role.

Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans noted "it would not be wise" to deliver arms to Egypt while the crisis unfolds.

But he predicted security co-operation will resume "in the long run" because Egypt is too important to Europe to let it slide into instability.

He said another negative scenario would be a return to the 1990s, in which the Muslin Brotherhood felt "very comfortable" as an underground opposition force and the security establishment felt equally comfortable keeping down dissent.

"All those young Egyptian people with aspirations, who just want to prosper and to be free, all their aspirations would be lost," he concluded.