New attempts to defuse Egypt crisis

New attempts to defuse Egypt crisis http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23580654

New attempts to defuse Egypt crisis
August 5, 2013 8:17 PM

Pro-Morsi protesters gathered outside the attorney general's office on Monday
Diplomats are continuing efforts to defuse Egypt's political crisis, with US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns visiting Muslim Brotherhood deputy head Khairat al-Shater in jail.

US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham have also arrived in Cairo to take part in two days of talks.

Egypt has been deeply polarised since the military ousted President Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood member, on 3 July.

Thousands are taking part in sit-ins in Cairo demanding his reinstatement.

There has been mounting tension over plans to break up the two mass sit-ins by Morsi loyalists outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the suburb of Nasr City, and in Nahda Square, near the campus of Cairo University in Giza.

There had been reports that the new interim government was prepared to release leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood from custody and offer the group ministerial positions if they called an end to the sit-ins, the BBC's Yolande Knell reports from Cairo.

However, a presidential adviser denied such an offer had been made - and Mr Morsi's supporters repeated that they would accept nothing short of his reinstatement, our correspondent adds.

Several prominent Brotherhood figures were arrested in a crackdown on the Islamist movement following Mr Morsi's removal.

More than 100 Morsi supporters have also been killed in clashes with security forces. At least 80 died in a single incident near the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque on 27 July.

The army removed Mr Morsi following huge protests against him. The new government has outlined its own roadmap leading to fresh elections in 2014.

Leaflets over protests

Brotherhood spokesman Gehad al-Haddad said of Mr Burns' visit that Mr Shater had told the US delegation that he was "no position to speak" and that they should direct their questions to Mr Morsi.

Mr Shater told the diplomats that Mr Morsi held the key to solving the crisis and that there was no alternative to constitutional legitimacy, according to statements on Mr Haddad's Twitter feed.

US and European Union envoys have been meeting officials from the new government and supporters of Mr Morsi in recent days.

On Monday, the EU's envoy, Bernardino Leon, met Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi.

Correspondents say the visit by Senators McCain and Graham is part of Washington's attempt to keep up the diplomatic momentum.

Before heading to Egypt, Mr Graham warned that the Egyptian military must back out of politics quickly or risk a cut of the $1.5bn (£0.98bn) in aid that it receives from the US each year.

The foreign ministers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also involved in the diplomatic push, and are reported to have visited a Muslim Brotherhood leader in recent days.

Over the weekend, the government re-iterated its call for Morsi supporters to end their sit-ins.

A government helicopter dropped leaflets over the Rabaa al-Adawiya demonstration which pledged that protesters would face no action if they had not committed a crime.

BBC © 2013