The US says it is
delaying the
delivery of four
F-16 fighter jets
to Egypt amid
unrest following
the army's
overthrow of
Mohammed Morsi
as president.
Pentagon
spokesman George
Little said the decision was made "given the current
situation in Egypt".
The US is examining whether Mr Morsi's removal was
a coup, which would trigger a legal requirement to
cut off aid.
Earlier, Egypt's army chief called for protests to give
the military a mandate to confront "potential
terrorism".
But Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he was not calling for
public unrest and he urged national reconciliation.
In response, the Muslim Brotherhood, which backs Mr
Morsi, said Gen Sisi was "calling for civil war".
The four F-16 jets are part of an already agreed
bigger order of 20 planes, eight of which have
already been sent to Egypt.
As recently as 11 July US officials suggested the
latest four F-16s would still be sent to Egypt.
However, on Wednesday the Pentagon confirmed
that the delivery was on hold.
"Given the current situation in Egypt we do not
believe it is appropriate to move forward at this time
with the delivery of F-16s," Mr Little told reporters.
"We remain committed to the US-Egypt defence
relationship as it remains a foundation of our broader
strategic partnership with Egypt and serves as a
pillar of regional stability," he said.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel informed General
Sisi of the decision in a phone call earlier on
Wednesday, the Pentagon spokesman added.
The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says the
decision is a way for the US to signal its displeasure
with recent events in Egypt without undermining
Washington's strong relationship with the Egyptian
military.
President Barack Obama took the decision late on
Tuesday following the recommendation of his
national security team, she adds.
US military aid to Egypt is estimated to be $1.3bn
(£860m) each year.
Call for reconciliation
In a speech at a military graduation ceremony
broadcast on television, Gen Sisi said: "I urge the
people to take to the streets this coming Friday to
prove their will and give me, the army and police, a
mandate to confront possible violence and
terrorism."
"So that in case there was a resort to violence and
terrorism, the army would have a mandate to
confront this."
Gen Sisi, who is also the defence minister in the new
government, rejected rumours about divisions within
the army ranks. "I swear by God that the Egyptian
army is united," he said.
Referring to the army's intervention to remove Mr
Morsi at the beginning of July, Gen Sisi said: "I urged
the former president to be a president for all
Egyptians".
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Cairo says Gen
Sisi's call showed who was really in charge in Egypt -
not the interim president picked by the military, Adly
Mahmud Mansour, but the military itself.
He says it may be a sign of frustration that protests
against the interim government are still going on.
Senior Brotherhood figure Mohamed el-Beltagy said
Gen Sisi was "calling for a civil war... to protect this
military coup".
"He is proving that he is the actual ruler of the
country, and that the president, his vice president
and the government do not hold any power," he
added.
In Cairo, two people were reported to have been
killed in clashes at a pro-Morsi demonstration
overnight. That followed nine deaths in the city on
Tuesday.
Mohammed Morsi narrowly won the presidential
election in June 2012 to become Egypt's first
democratically elected president, but his opponents
accused him of trying to impose an Islamist agenda
on the country.
Following weeks of often violent protests, the
Egyptian military removed him from office and
installed an interim government.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23442947

Uncle Sam is on the watch to kill two birds with one stone ( keep the money paid by Egypt for those F-16, then sell the same fighters to someone else) !
Watch out , they screwed up Pakistan under Benazir Bhuto more than 10 years ago in another aircraft deal.

pan,you got it right. It is well known that nothing brings in money like war game.
you spend money and you equally get more money, provided you know who to play the game.