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Tieng Anh Vui
The UK has urged its EU allies to maintain aid for ordinary Egyptians as European foreign ministers consider how to help end the violence in Egypt.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said most Egyptians wanted democracy, so "we mustn't do anything that hurts them or that cuts off support to them".
The foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels after a week in which more than 900 people have died in Egypt.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has offered to mediate again.
Lady Ashton visited Egypt last month, when she was allowed to meet the deposed President Mohammed Morsi.
"I am more than willing to go back... if they wish me to," she said.
The BBC's Matthew Price in Brussels says it is looking clear that the EU will not cut humanitarian aid to Egypt. Several foreign ministers have cautioned against any moves that would harm the people of Egypt.
However, they view military and security assistance differently, our correspondent says, and they may opt for a bloc-wide ban on arms deliveries.
Arms are provided by individual countries rather than the EU as a whole, mostly by Germany, France and Spain. The UK has already suspended some of its military help.
Europe 'must speak up'
EU foreign ministers will discuss whether to continue with a 5bn-euro (£4.3bn) aid package for Egypt agreed last November.
The package consists of 1bn directly from the EU, with the rest from the EU-associated European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. But most is already frozen because of EU concerns about corruption in Egypt.
The ministers meeting on Wednesday do not want to react in a way that causes Egyptian officials to shut down lines of communication, our correspondent says.
Going into the EU meeting, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt deplored the violence in Egypt, saying "primary responsibility rests with the regime forces".
EU aid for Egypt
- Nearly 1bn euros (£854m) allocated for 2007-2013, but some of it blocked because of lack of reforms
- 23m euros allocated to non-state civil society groups
- 5bn euros pledged in November 2012, but mostly frozen because of reform concerns
- EU military aid worth about 140m euros annually
Source: European Commission
He called it "an unprecedented wave of repression and violence" and added: "It's very important that Europe speaks up."
Mr Bildt said he would not be arguing for a suspension of aid, but that "we are clearly not sending taxpayers' money to people responsible for massacres".
Sweden would continue to send development aid to Egyptian women's rights groups and other civil society activists, he said.
Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said the EU would "have to be very clear on condemning the excessive violence" in Egypt.
He said "it would not be wise to provide the Egyptian army and security forces with arms in this situation".
He also stressed "the need for more moderate people to be heard again [in Egypt] and be able to play a role in finding a solution".
Gulf is major donor
The EU says it has sent about 450m euros to Egypt in the last three years.
However, this money is not going to the government: it is being spent on projects to improve sanitation and water supplies, and to help towards construction of the Cairo underground train system.
In 2013 only 16m euros has been paid to the Egyptian government out of the 1bn euros in EU development funding earmarked for Egypt for 2007-2013.
Separately, the EU has allocated about 23m euros to non-state civil society groups in Egypt.
EU military aid is worth about 140m euros a year, compared to US defence aid worth a much greater $1.3bn (1bn euros; £0.8bn). The US also gives about $250m in other assistance.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait recently pledged $12bn in aid.
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