EU suspends arms sales to Egypt amid violent protests

PanARMENIAN.Net - EU member states have agreed to suspend export licences for any equipment that could be used for repression in Egypt, but humanitarian aid will continue, BBC News said.

The decision was announced by EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton after emergency talks in Brussels. She said EU governments "feel very strongly that they want to continue to support vulnerable people in Egypt".

The foreign ministers met after a week in which more than 900 people have died in Egypt's political violence.

Lady Ashton said the EU would review its assistance to Egypt and was urging all sides to "stop the violence and provocations" and "engage in inclusive national dialogue, open to all".

Arms are provided by individual countries rather than the EU as a whole, mostly by Germany, France and Spain. The UK has already suspended some of its military help.

Earlier the UK urged its EU allies to maintain aid for ordinary Egyptians. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said most Egyptians wanted democracy, so "we mustn't do anything that hurts them or that cuts off support to them".

Lady Ashton visited Egypt last month, when she was allowed to meet the deposed President Mohammed Morsi.