Egypt rejects EU threat to halt aid amid mounting death toll

The Egyptian government rejected a warning issued by the European Union Sunday that the group would “urgently review” its relations with Egypt. The EU warned Cairo that the people’s calls for democracy and fundamental rights “cannot be disregarded, much less be washed away in blood.”

Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy cautioned against the “internationalization” of the crisis in his country, emphasizing that it was an internal affair, and boldly suggesting that Egypt could do without EU help

“I want to determine what is useful and what is not and what aid is being used to pressure Egypt and whether this aid has good intentions and credibility,” Fahmy told reporters in Cairo. “We are not looking to replace one friend with another but we will look out to the world and continue to establish relations with other countries so we have options.”

Earlier Sunday, the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council said it was the responsibility of the Egyptian army and the interim government to end the violence and to embark on a political dialogue to swiftly restore democracy.

Nearly 900 people have died there over the week in clashes between security forces and supporters of the deposed President Mohammed Morsi, officials said.

“The violence and the killings of these last days cannot be justified nor condoned,” said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Council chief Herman Van Rompuy. “The calls for democracy and fundamental freedoms from the Egyptian population cannot be disregarded, much less washed away in blood,” they added.

Top EU diplomats are gathering Monday morning in Brussels to discuss possible EU actions in response to the crisis in Egypt. The diplomats will lay the groundwork for an expected emergency meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers on Egypt later this week.

The 28-nation bloc is a major source of aid, loans, business and tourists for Egypt. The EU and its member states last year pledged a combined 5 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in loans and aid for Egypt, contingent on the progress toward democracy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday floated the idea to halt previously approved arms shipments to Egypt as part of a coordinated EU response.

“In any case, arms exports can absolutely be subject to measures by which one makes it clear: We are very skeptical regarding what is happening in Egypt at the moment,” she told public broadcaster ZDF. “We will do everything to stop the violence.”

Sun-seeking tourists from Germany and other EU countries flocking to resorts on the Red Sea have kept Egypt’s ailing economy from suffocating since the 2011 Arab Spring protests that led to the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Berlin, however, on Friday issued a stern travel warning following this week’s violence. Germany stopped short of seeking to evacuate its currently estimated 40,000 citizens there, but firmly advised against traveling to Egypt. If travel warnings from many EU countries were issued or kept in place, Egypt’s already fragile economy would face further mayhem.

In Paris, French President Francois Hollande said European and Arab nations have a “common responsibility” to do what they can so the violence in Egypt ends and a political life can be restarted.