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EU Member States Suspend Arms Exports to Egypt

EU Member States Suspend Arms Exports to Egypt

From BBC

EU member states have agreed to suspend export licenses for any equipment that could be used for repression in Egypt, but humanitarian aid will continue. 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.

Read more at bbc.co.uk