Summary Egypt's envoy to France says EU sanctions will like playing into the hands of extremist groups.
BRUSSELS / PARIS (AP) - The European Union on Wednesday decided to suspend exports of weapons and goods that could be used for internal repression but did not halt aid programs for fear of hurting ordinary Egyptians already hit hard.
Instead, the 28 EU foreign ministers called on the military authorities and the supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi s Muslim Brotherhood movement to resume negotiations to avoid further bloodshed.
"It was decided ... to suspend all arms deliveries that can be used internally," said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius following the emergency meeting in Brussels. "We have decided to maintain our aid for the Egyptian population because it already suffers enormously," he added.
Clashes between Egyptian security forces and Morsi s supporters have killed hundreds of people since last week.
"We do believe that the recent operations of the security forces have been disproportionate and we re worried about the resulting alarming number of people that have been killed," said the EU s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
"We call on all sides to stop the cycle of violence, to stop the provocations, to stop the hate speech," she said, adding that the EU "strongly condemns" the recent violence.
While the EU lacks the military muscle and long-standing ties that give the U.S. a special position in dealing with Cairo, the EU is Egypt s biggest trading partner and a major source of aid, loans and tourists. The EU and its member states last year pledged a combined 5 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in loans and aid for Egypt.
The bloc s decision to suspend some export licenses falls short of a full weapons embargo, but many member states including Germany and Britain have already suspended new exports to Egypt.
Meanwhile, Egypt s ambassador to France said any sanctions imposed on the government by the European Union would do nothing more than play into the hands of extremist groups that have no interest in political dialogue.
EU foreign ministers are debating on Wednesday in Brussels how to use their economic muscle to force Egypt s army-backed rulers to end a crackdown on deposed President Mohamed Mursi s Muslim Brotherhood.
Speaking at the embassy in Paris, Mohamed Moustafa Kamal said using economic cooperation to exert pressure on Egypt was unacceptable."We cannot accept that pressure be put on the will of the Egyptian people," Kamal, whose appointment to Paris was rubber-stamped by Mursi in 2012, told reporters.
"What s more ... sometimes these sort of messages can give a false impression to parties who practice violence because they can believe that the international community supports them."
Kamal s news conference was preceded by a 30-minute video that he said showed "acts of terrorism" committed by militia linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
He said the interim authorities would keep to the political roadmap set in July and urged the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, to return to the negotiating table.
