Obama cancels joint exercises
Print Edition
US President Barack Obama yesterday canceled joint military exercises with Egypt next month and said the United States “strongly condemns” the violent crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood protesters.
America’s traditional cooperation with Egypt “cannot continue as usual while civilians are being killed in the streets,” he said.
Obama still did not label the Egyptian military’s recent takeover as a coup — a designation that would have forced a cutoff of more than US$1 billion in US aid a year. The army on July 3 took power from Mohammed Morsi, a top Muslim Brotherhood official who became Egypt’s first democratically elected leader a year ago after long-time ruler and US ally Hosni Mubarak was ousted.
“America cannot determine the future of Egypt,” Obama said. “That’s a task for the Egyptian people. We don’t take sides with any particular party or political figure.”
Speaking from his weeklong vacation in Massachusetts, Obama directed his national security team to see what additional steps the US might take.
The Bright Star military exercise has been a centerpiece of the two countries’ military relations for a decade, but with the army consumed by the chaos in Cairo and other major cities, it was not clear that the cancellation would be seen as more than symbolic.
The US and Egypt have not held the biennial exercises since 2009. Several other countries, including Turkey, Jordan and Britain, have also taken part.
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