BRUSSELS, Aug 20 (KUNA) -- Foreign ministers from the European Union's 28 member states will hold an extraordinary meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to come up with a common position on how to respond to developments in Egypt.
However, analysts opine that due to different interests and positions of EU member states, finding a united European position would be nearly impossible.
EU ambassadors met here Monday to discuss possible measures that include suspension of economic aid and imposing an arms embargo on Egypt but reportedly there was no agreement.
Bernardino Leon, the EU's special representative for the Southern Mediterranean told journalists that "we will make a list of proposals and put them on the table, but only ministers will decide on Wednesday." "No options were ruled out," he stressed.
The EU last year promised 5 billion euros of aid and loans to Egypt.
Austrian Chancellor Michael Spindelegger was quoted saying that "this is my demand: The 5 billion euro have to be held back." But such a move is considered to be merely a symbolic gesture.
The British daily the Independent wrote " that such a decision would bring little practical pressure on the interim government in Cairo," pointing out that "almost all of the EU aid programme is already frozen." The EU states could also suspend existing projects and programmes in Egypt. Denmark has already suspended two bilateral aid projects while Netherlands has cut off aid to the interim government in Cairo.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that German arms exports to Egypt will be "subject to measures which clearly show our scepticism about what is happening." She said that an arms embargo might be imposed after an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Europe reportedly sells some 300 million euro of weapons to Egypt annually with France at the top.
French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, has called on Europe to react, but stressed that "France cannot take decisions in place of the Egyptian people." He also noted that Egyptian military leader Al-Sisi "is supported by a large part of the Egyptian population." EU accounts for nearly 40% of Egypt's total trade with the world. The trade volume between Egypt and the EU reached almost 24 billion euros in 2011 . The Brussels-based newspaper European Voice commented that "action by the EU could, however, prompt Egypt's business class to exert pressure on the government. The EU is Egypt's largest trading partner and the home of most of the tourists to Egypt. It also provides substantial funding for specific projects, through the European Investment Bank." Analysts however point out that 12 billion dollars in financial help announced by Saudi Arabi, Kuwait and the UAE will help to ease any economic pressure on Egypt. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, said in press statements that "to those who have announced they are cutting their aid to Egypt, or threatening to do that, we say that Arab and Muslim nations are rich and will not hesitate to help Egypt."
The EU and Egypt began diplomatic relations in 1966 and Europe considers Egypt to be an important strategic partner.
" Egypt is a key partner of the European Union. We share interests in and responsibility for the maintenance of peace and stability in a strategic region. Further escalation must be prevented. It could have unpredictable consequences for Egypt and for its broader neighbourhood, "warned EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a joint statement on Sunday .
They also stressed that the EU would "urgently review in the coming days its relations with Egypt." Some European newspapers are calling for tough measures against the Egyptian interim government.
French daily Le Monde wrote that "the choice made by the camp around Al-Sissi to (disperse) protesters ... constitutes an unacceptable turning point that calls for a penalty. Europe must suspend its aid. It is a matter of principle." But German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung voiced scepticism of the measures available to the EU.
"Relations with the military leaders in Cairo can be frozen and they can be punished by withdrawing aid. But they will not tolerate having the EU meddle in internal Egyptian affairs. They will ignore calls for dialogue and will make it known that they can find partners elsewhere, in Moscow, for example." The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, had had been mediating between the Muslim Brotherhood and the interim government and there was high hope in Brussels of a diplomatic breakthrough to resolve the Egyptian crisis.
Ashton also became the first foreign leader to meet the ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on July 30. But Brussels expressed disappointment over the crackdown against Muslim Brotherhood protestors.
The Barroso- Van Rompuy statement noted that "we regret deeply that international efforts and proposals for building bridges and establishing an inclusive political process, to which the EU contributed actively, were set aside. " It added that "the violence and the killings of these last days cannot be justified nor condoned." But Leon yesterday softened the EU criticism of the interim government saying that both sides are to blame for the violence. "There are two sides. There is violence coming from all sides. We've been saying very clearly that violence from both sides, from all sides, has to stop, " he said.
On his part, British Foreign Secretary William Hague clarified that the UK will not take sides in Egypt.
Hague told BBC Radio "we don't agree with military interventions in democratic processes, as we made clear at the time in early July but do we deal with these people as the government of Egypt?... In foreign policy terms these are the people we deal with in power in Egypt; it's not for us to take sides." On its part the Egyptian interim government has brushed off any European threats of cutting aid to Egypt .
Foreign minister Nabil Fahmy was quoted saying that "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." " 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," he warned. (end) nk.ajs KUNA 201604 Aug 13NNNN