[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English,
[00:06.30]this is In the News.
[00:08.39]Egypt is criticizing an American decision
[00:12.51]to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars
[00:15.29]in aid to the country.
[00:17.31]An Egyptian Foreign Ministry official says
[00:20.51]the decision is wrong.
[00:21.94]He says his country is prepared to carry out
[00:26.19]what he called a political road map,
[00:28.98]which includes plans for elections next year.
[00:32.69]The Obama administration said this week
[00:36.33]it was suspending the delivery of major weapons to Egypt
[00:40.55]because of delays in progress toward an inclusive government.
[00:45.24]The decision followed an investigation of events
[00:48.76]since the Egyptian military ousted
[00:51.88]President Mohamed Morsi three months ago.
[00:54.92]President Obama has also decided to suspend $260 million
[01:01.15]in assistance to the government that followed the ouster.
[01:05.59]Mr. Obama has said there can be no business
[01:09.67]as usual following the overthrow of Mr. Morsi.
[01:13.73]American officials say this suspension
[01:17.52]is a way of expressing that point.
[01:20.00]But it is far from a complete break in American assistance.
[01:24.22]The United States will continue to support programs
[01:28.02]that it says directly help the Egyptian people.
[01:31.86]It will also continue financing programs
[01:35.20]that support what it calls "vital security objectives."
[01:39.67]These include help aimed at securing Egypt's borders.
[01:43.98]Jonathan Broder is with Congressional Quarterly,
[01:48.08]a publication that reports on American politics.
[01:51.98]He says Mr. Obama has been under pressure
[01:55.65]for not taking stronger steps
[01:58.39]after the ouster of Egypt's democratically-elected leader.
[02:02.59]"There is the image that President Obama
[02:06.65]wants to present to the world as someone
[02:09.53]who stands up for human rights and for democracy.
[02:12.40]And the images of Egyptian soldiers
[02:16.40]killing protesters on the streets of Cairo
[02:19.73]is a very negative one in the United States.
[02:22.95]And there's pressure on him from human rights organizations
[02:27.29]and from some in Congress to suspend the aid."
[02:31.17]American officials say Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
[02:35.28]discussed the move in a telephone call on Wednesday
[02:38.77]with Egypt's Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
[02:43.48]During the call, the two men were said to have re-stated
[02:47.23]the importance of their countries' relations
[02:49.58]in guaranteeing Middle East security.
[02:53.18]Since July, the Egyptian military has led a campaign
[02:58.03]against suspected militants and supporters of Mr. Morsi
[03:02.33]and the Muslim Brotherhood.
[03:04.61]At least 1,000 people have been killed.
[03:08.03]Most were Islamists.
[03:10.67]In recent days, more violence was reported,
[03:14.66]with attacks on security forces and clashes
[03:19.27]between protesters and police.
[03:21.43]Some Egyptians predict it only lead
[03:25.77]to increased use of military force.
[03:28.79]Emad Shahin is a public policy professor
[03:33.77]with The American University in Cairo.
[03:37.05]He thinks military leaders are preparing
[03:40.18]for a final battle with their long-time enemies.
[03:44.33]"They think that the plan by which they managed to charge,
[03:48.46]to mobilize the anger of the people against Morsi's rule
[03:55.40]and administration and so on, has gained a momentum
[03:57.52]and it is really time to break down the Islamists."
[04:03.14]For now, many Egyptians are still supporting
[04:06.67]the military against its opponents.
[04:09.21]But there are questions of how long that can last.
[04:12.70]Mustafa Labbad is director of the Al Sharq Center
[04:18.13]for Regional and Strategic Studies.
[04:20.62]"After a while you have to solve your social and economic problems.
[04:25.49]And it wouldn't matter if you are wearing a uniform or casual wear.
[04:31.47]If you are in power, you have to solve these problems."
[04:34.55]Observers say repression against one group may be possible.
[04:39.28]But attempting to suppress a larger movement will prove difficult.
[04:44.10]And that's In the News from VOA Learning English.
[04:48.85]I'm George Grow.