WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday it will take time to determine whether the Egyptian military's removal of President Mohamed Mursi constituted a coup, and called on the military to exercise restraint.

"We are evaluating how the authorities are responding to and handling the current situation," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters when asked whether the U.S. administration was any closer to making a decision about how to describe Mursi's removal. (Reporting by Laura MacInnis and Roberta Rampton; Editing by David Brunnstrom)