No final decision on Egypt, U.S. says

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (UPI) —

The U.S. government hasn’t made a final decision on the status of its relationship with the interim Egyptian leadership, a State Department spokeswoman said.

Hundreds of Egyptians died in political violence that erupted following a July 3 military decision to remove Mohamed Morsi from power. In June 2012, he became the first president elected by a democratic vote in Egyptian history.

The European Union said it was frustrated with the harsh crackdown against Morsi’s supporters. The EU last week announced it was suspending licenses for the export of material used for "internal repression."

Western powers have been reluctant to call the July 3 ouster a coup because it would trigger legal restrictions on military support. Washington said it views the situation in Egypt as part of broader national security situation.

Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said Monday the relationship with Egypt was under review.

"There has not been a final decision on how we’re going to move forward," she said in a statement to reporters.

She noted the response to the crisis by the interim government "forced us" to review the relationship.

Hundreds of followers of the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement to which Morsi belongs, have been detained. Morsi and several top-ranking figures from the organization are behind bars.