CHILMARK, Mass.
(AP) -- President Barack Obama on Thursday canceled joint U.S.-Egypt
military exercises, saying America's traditional cooperation with Egypt
"cannot continue as usual" while violence and instability deepen in the
strategically important nation.
It's unclear
whether scrapping the Bright Star exercise will have any impact in
stopping the clashes between Egypt's military-backed interim government
and supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi. Obama said his
administration would look at possible further steps, but he gave no
indication that the U.S. planned to cut off its $1.3 billion in annual
military aid to Egypt.
Speaking from his
vacation home on Martha's Vineyard, Obama said the U.S. wants democracy
in Egypt to succeed. But he said achieving that outcome is not the
responsibility of the United States.
"America
cannot determine the future of Egypt," Obama said in his first statement
since violence erupted Wednesday. "That's a task for the Egyptian
people. We don't take sides with any particular party or political
figure."
More than 500 people have died in
Egypt since Wednesday in clashes between the interim government and
Morsi's supporters. The government has declared a nationwide state of
emergency and a nighttime curfew.
Obama said
the United States informed Egypt's interim leaders Thursday morning
about plans to cancel the military exercises. The president also ordered
his national security team to "assess the actions taken by the interim
government and further steps that we may take as necessary with respect
to the U.S.-Egyptian relationship."
The Bright
Star maneuvers, long a centerpiece of the deep ties between the U.S.
and Egyptian militaries, were scheduled to begin next month and last
about three weeks. Several other countries, including Turkey, Jordan and
Britain, have also participated.
The U.S. and
Egypt have not held the biennial exercises since 2009, as Egypt
grappled with the fallout from the revolution that ousted its longtime
autocratic leaders Hosni Mubarak. Morsi, a member of the Muslim
Brotherhood, was elected president in 2012 during Egypt's first
democratic elections.
Defense Secretary Chuck
Hagel said in a statement that he called Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi to relay the decision.
"The
Department of Defense will continue to maintain a military relationship
with Egypt, but I made it clear that the violence and inadequate steps
towards reconciliation are putting important elements of our
longstanding defense cooperation at risk," Hagel said in his statement.
Critics
of Morsi expressed increasing concern over the past year that he was
cracking down on democracy. He was ousted by the military on July 3, and
his whereabouts remain a mystery.
The U.S.
has refrained from declaring Morsi's ouster a coup, a step that would
require the Obama administration to suspend its military aid. Officials
have said such a move would not be in line with American interests.
"We
appreciate the complexity of the situation," Obama said Thursday.
"While Mohammed Morsi was elected president in a democratic election,
his government was not inclusive and did not respect the views of all
Egyptians."
The president urged all parties in
Egypt to refrain from further violence, calling it a "dangerous path."
He said Egypt would have "false starts" in its efforts to embrace
democracy and recalled America's own "mighty struggles to perfect our
union."
---
Pace
reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Robert
Burns and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
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