US ships approach Egypt ... Meanwhile , President Morsi to be investigated by prosecutors in criminal probe - for spying , inciting violence and economic collapse ....

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-07-13/us-ships-approach-us-embassy-egypt-denies-move-presages-imminent-us-invasion

As US Ships Approach, US Embassy In Egypt Denies Move Presages "Imminent US Invasion"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/13/2013 13:45 -0400

• Iran
 
• Israel

With the situation in Egypt continuing to border on sheer chaos, many wonder what approach the US will take, so far having demonstrated its inability to decide how to swallow the humiliation of having a US-backed regime get swept away in a military coup while it continues supporting the country with both money and weapons. But while the State Department dithers, its head busy boating somewhere off the coast of Massachussetts, the US military is not wasting much time, and appears to be amassing a naval presence just off the coast of Egypt. No need to worry, though: Egypt's Ahram reports that "the US Embassy in Egypt denied Saturday that US naval vessels near Egypt's shores are sent in preparation for military action. A top Marine Corps general said Thursday that two US marine vessels approached Egypt's Red Sea shore, raising concerns in the Egyptian media about an imminent military move."

"We deny false claims in the Egyptian press that US naval ships are in the vicinity of the Arabian Peninsula and the Suez Canal to militarily invade Egypt," read a statement issued on the US embassy's website.

Alas, since the US lately does not have a great track record with either telling the truth, or being honest about which country it is about to "militarily invade", one can see why ordinary Egyptians, who have no idea on whose side the US is currently, may be worried.

More from Ahram:

The statement  went on to say that the United States regularly deploys forces near the Arabian Peninsula and that US vessels regularly pass through Egypt's Suez Canal en route to the Indian Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea.

US Marine Corps officials said the two ships, part of a three-ship amphibious readiness group, has been in the region since May, patrolling the Red Sea, Horn of Africa, the Gulf and the Arabian Sea. The third ship is offshore Bahrain.

They went on to assert there were no new orders to prepare for a possible conflict in Egypt.

Moving amphibious ships closer to the coast would enable easier movement of helicopters and other equipment, if needed in a country  now in ferment, navy officials said.

The US Embassy's full statement can be found here. The Pentagon Press Sec went one better and called all such reports "absolutely wrong"

George Little        ✔ @PentagonPresSec

Some Egyptian press reports suggest US Navy ships are near Arabian Peninsula/Suez Canal to invade Egypt. Those reports are absolutely wrong.

12:47 PM - 13 Jul 2013

Using biblical logic, all that is needed to confirm an imminent invasion of Egypt would be just one more denial.

Joking aside, it is a given that preserving the Suez Canal is of paramount importance for the US, if not so much for a quick transit access for cargo between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, but to preserve access to the US 5th Naval Fleet based in Bahrain. Because once that is cut off, there goes quick and easy naval support for Israel operations in and around Iran.

Finally, it appears that the marine fleet in question currently parked by Egypt is the LHD-3 Kearsarge which has a fleet of helicopters and 2000 marines on board, and which was by the Suez two weeks ago, and which as recently as this Wednesday was located by the Straits of Hormuz according to the latest Stratfor Navalmap. The same Kearsarge that played a key role in the Libyan coup two years ago.

Deposed Egyptian president to be investigated

Prosecutors launch criminal probe against Morsi after complaints of spying, inciting violence and economic collapse. Last Modified: 13 Jul 2013 17:39

Morsi has been detained since July 3, but has not yet been charged with any crime [Reuters]

Egypt has announced a criminal investigation against deposed President Mohamed Morsi, with prosecutors saying they were examining complaints of spying, inciting violence and ruining the economy. The public prosecutor's office issued a statement on Saturday saying it had received complaints against Morsi, eight other named Islamist figures including top Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie, and others it did not identify. The prosecutors did not say who had made the complaints. Egypt's first freely elected leader has been held at an undisclosed location since the army removed him from power on July 3, but has not yet been charged with any crime. In recent days Washington has called for him to be freed and for the authorities to stop arresting leaders of his Muslim Brotherhood. The complaints are a first step in the criminal process, allowing prosecutors to begin an investigation that can lead to charges. Announcing the step was unusual: typically prosecutors wait until charges are filed before making public statements. Badie and several other Brotherhood officials already face charges for inciting violence that were announced earlier this week, but most of them have not been arrested. Egyptian law allows them to investigate complaints from police or any member of the public. More demonstrations Morsi's Brotherhood called on Saturday for more mass demonstrations after a huge march broke up peacefully before dawn, ending a week in which at least 90 people were killed. Senior Brotherhood figure Essam El-Erian, one of those who faces arrest, called on his Facebook page for more demonstrations on Monday. "Egypt decides through the ballot box, through protests, mass marches and peaceful sit-ins," he said. Follow spotlight coverage of the struggling young democracy Meanwhile, the Brotherhood, which has maintained a vigil near a Cairo mosque since before the army removed Morsi, has said it will not leave the streets until he is restored to power. The military says it deposed Morsi in a justified response to popular demand after millions of people demonstrated against him. The Brotherhood says it was a coup that reversed democracy. Turmoil in the most populous Arab state has concerned the West, as Egypt sits astride the Suez Canal and has a strategically important peace treaty with Israel. The United States has refused to say whether it considered the army takeover a "coup", which under US law would require it to cut off aid including $1.3bn a year in military support. Egypt’s economy has been struggling since a popular uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, and the turmoil since then has driven away investors, draining hard currency reserves and making it difficult to import food and fuel. The army has appointed a judge as interim president and a liberal economist, Hazem el-Beblawi was named as prime minister, who is trying to cobble together a cabinet likely to be made up mainly of technocrats and liberals.