U.S. partially suspends aid to Egypt while Brotherhood dissovled

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U.S. partially suspends aid to Egypt while Brotherhood dissovled

(Xinhua) 15:20, October 10, 2013

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday it was "recalibrating" part of its 1.5 billion U.S. dollars of annual aid to Egypt in response to the situation in the country, holding back the delivery of certain large-scale military systems and some cash assistance to the government.

State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement that the U.S. will continue to withhold the delivery of certain large-scale military systems and cash assistance to the Egyptian government "pending credible progress toward an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government through free and fair elections."

Psaki said the U.S. will continue its support of Egypt in areas like health, education and private sector development, as well as its assistance to help secure Egypt's borders, counter terrorism and proliferation and ensure security in the Sinai. The U.S. will also continue to provide parts for U.S. origin military equipment and military training and education.

The State Department has not yet disclosed the amount of aid to be withheld.

The Obama administration made the decision to partially suspend aid months after the country's first elected President Mohamed Morsi was deposed by the military in July.

On the same day, an Egyptian court announced it has set Nov. 4 for the trial of the deposed Islamist president over presidential palace violence that took place in December.

Nabil Salib, head of the Cairo Court of Appeals, said that the ousted president and 14 top leaders and members of the Muslim Brotherhood will stand trial in the Criminal Court on Nov. 4 on charges of inciting violence and murder during anti-Morsi protests outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace last year.

Since toppling Morsi on July 3, nearly 3,600 Brotherhood leaders and members have been arrested over charges of inciting violence, murdering, disturbing social order and assaulting governmental institutions, according to the group's official website.

Meanwhile, Egypt's Ministry of Social Solidarity decided to dissolve the Muslim Brotherhood as a non-governmental organization (NGO) on Wednesday, only months after the group was officially registered as a NGO to dodge the 1954 ban and find a legal channel to practice its political activities.

Founded in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood group has been largely outlawed since. In 1948, it was dissolved over charges of involvement in explosion and murder. In 1954, it was banned again for attempting to press the country into religious rule during the era of late President Gamal Abdel Nasser. The 1954 decision was irrevocable, which means the group cannot legally exist.

The Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, was formed following the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and the party's candidate Mohamed Morsi had won the presidential election in 2012.

（Editor：LiangJun、Yao Chun）