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Egypt: Diplomatic Efforts Fail to End Crisis

by VOA News August 07, 2013

Egypt's interim government says efforts by foreign envoys to mediate the country's political divide have failed, and they've issued another stern warning for protesters to disperse.

The presidency said Wednesday it blamed ousted president Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood for the failure.

Interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi later appeared on state television vowing that the government's decision to break up two Cairo sit-ins by pro-Morsi supporters was final. Beblawi said that the protesters had 'broken all the limits of peacefulness' by inciting violence, using weapons, blocking roads and detaining citizens.

US diplomacy

The senior U.S. diplomat involved in the mediation effort, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, left Egypt shortly after the government declared diplomatic efforts had ended.

The European Union said Wednesday it was very concerned about the reported failure of international mediation efforts and urged all sides to reach a peaceful solution.

Underscoring the concerns, Egypt's leading Islamic authority, al-Azhar, plans to host talks on the crisis next week after the Eid el-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

More protests planned

Pro-Morsi parties and the liberal and secularist groups who backed his removal called rival street demonstrations for Thursday.

Burns had held talks with both the government and members of the Muslim Brotherhood during the mediation effort, together with European Union envoy Bernardino Leon and the Qatari and UAE foreign ministers.

The army has installed an interim government, while the Muslim Brotherhood insists the Islamist leader be reinstated.

Free Morsi

On Tuesday, U.S. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham urged Egypt's interim leaders to free Morsi and other Islamists from prison to facilitate discussions on resolving the political crisis.

Graham said he believed it was 'impossible' for the Egyptian government to hold a dialogue with someone 'who is in jail.'

Egypt's interim authorities have detained senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including former president Morsi, since ousting him from power on July 3. Authorities accuse the prominent Islamists of incitement to violence.

The two senators also criticized the overthrow of Morsi as a 'coup,' marking a departure from the Obama administration, which has said it views the incident as part of a process of 'restoring democracy.'

Military defends actions

The Egyptian military said it acted against Morsi in response to the will of millions of secular and liberal Egyptians who staged nationwide mass protests calling on the Islamist leader to quit.

Morsi had taken office one year earlier as Egypt's first democratically-elected president, but critics accused him of monopolizing power in the hands of the Brotherhood and threatening their secular lifestyle.

The Brotherhood has been holding two large round-the-clock vigils in Cairo to demand Morsi's reinstatement.