Egyptian military tanks are deployed in the northern Sinai town of Al-Arish on July 16, 2013. STR/AFP/Getty Images

The European Union decided Wednesday to suspend exports of weapons and some goods to Egypt — a move meant to block the transfer of materials that could be used for internal repression amid a military crackdown on supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi. The measure came as an Egyptian court ordered the release of former president Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years before resigning in 2011 after nationwide protests forced him to step down. The EU suspension did not halt aid programs for fear of hurting ordinary Egyptians already hit hard. Instead, the 28 foreign ministers called on Egypt’s military authorities and supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement to resume negotiations to avoid further bloodshed. "It was decided ... to suspend all arms deliveries that can be used internally," said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius following an emergency meeting in Brussels. "We have decided to maintain our aid for the Egyptian population because it already suffers enormously." The violent crackdown by security forces on Morsi's supporters has killed hundreds of people since last week. The Anti-Coup Alliance, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, has called for "Friday of Martyrs" protests against the country's army takeover, which could lead to further unrest with security forces.

The Amir Tadros coptic Church in Minya on Sunday. The building was set ablaze on Aug. 14. Virginie Nguyen Hoang/AFP/Getty Images RELATED: Egypt's Christians Under Attack While Egypt's military-backed government has been keen to use the violence against Christians to discredit the Islamists with the West, Christians say the attacks were foreseeable, and that the state did little or nothing to protect them. Read more here

"We do believe that the recent operations of the security forces have been disproportionate, and we're worried about the resulting alarming number of people that have been killed," said the EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton. "We call on all sides to stop the cycle of violence, to stop the provocations, to stop the hate speech," she said, adding that the EU "strongly condemns" the recent violence. While the EU lacks the military muscle and longstanding ties that give the United States influence in dealing with Cairo, the EU is Egypt's biggest trading partner and a major source of aid, loans and tourists. The organization and its member states last year pledged a combined 5 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in loans and aid for Egypt. The United States so far has canceled joint military exercises and delayed the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets in response to the violence, but it is still weighing whether to suspend some of its annual $1.5 billion in aid to Egypt. Egypt, the most populous nation in the Arab world, is a longtime U.S. ally and has been the bedrock of Washington's Middle East policy, not least because of its peace treaty with Israel. It also controls the Suez Canal, an important trade route, and has so far granted the United States fast passage through the canal to deploy carrier groups bound for the Gulf. EU threats to cut some aid may not frighten Egypt's leadership since Saudi Arabia, a longtime critic of the Muslim Brotherhood, has pledged to plug any shortfall. Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Gulf nations, including Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, have so far promised $12 billion in new aid.

Mubarak release ordered