Egypt PM says decision to break up sit in is final

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The European Union said on Wednesday it was very concerned about the reported failure of diplomatic efforts to end Egypt's political crisis and urged all sides to reach a peaceful solution.

"We are very concerned about the latest reports," Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said, commenting on the Egyptian presidency's statement that international mediation efforts had ended.

"The EU is urging all political groups to find a peaceful solution to the current stalemate. We are present on the ground talking to all sides," he said, referring to EU envoy Bernardino Leon who is on a mediation mission to Egypt.

This comes after the European Union said it would press on with diplomatic efforts to resolve Egypt's political crisis despite the Egyptian presidency saying that international mediation efforts had failed.

Meanwhile, a senior US diplomat involved in trying to mediate an end to Egypt's political crisis left the country on Wednesday, Cairo airport officials said.

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns had held talks with both the government and members of the Muslim Brotherhood during the mediation effort, together with envoys from the European Union, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Egyptian Authorities:

Egypt's interim prime minister said on Wednesday the government had not retreated from its decision to break up two Cairo sit-ins by supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi.

Hazem el-Beblawi, speaking in a televised statement, said the decision to break up the protest camps was final. He also said the protesters had "broken all the limits of peacefulness" by inciting violence, using weapons, blocking roads, and detaining citizens.

Al-Azhar:

Egypt's leading Islamic authority Al-Azhar will call a meeting on the country's crisis next week, the state news agency reported, in a new effort to resolve the bloody standoff after the government said international mediation had failed.

Al-Azhar would call for "an important meeting" after the Eid el-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, the MENA news agency reported. The holiday lasts from Thursday to Sunday.

The meeting would be held in the presence of Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Sheikh of the 1,000-year old institution.

State Department:

Ending Egypt's political crisis will require compromise and there is still time for dialogue, the State Department said on Wednesday, as international envoys returned home and Egypt's interim government said the talks had failed.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said talks in Cairo with envoys from the United States, European Union, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates provided a "strong basis to create an environment in which Egypt can move forward."

"We believe that any solution will require both sides to make compromises," Psaki told a briefing. "These decisions can only be made by Egyptians for Egyptians. We certainly hope they will make them soon," she added.

Psaki said Washington was concerned with the statement from the army-installed government that said the talks had failed, adding: "Now is not the time to assess blame but to initiate a dialogue that can help restore calm for the long term."

Clashes:

A security official said clashes between supporters of the country's ousted president and residents of Egypt's Mediterranean city of Alexandria have left one dead and dozens wounded.

The security official said residents of Manshiya neighborhood were angered by marchers who were chanting against the country's armed forces. It was not immediately clear what sparked the violence.

He said 46 people were wounded, including some by gunshot and birdshot, in the fighting that broke out before dawn Wednesday. He spoke anonymously as he was not authorized to talk to media.

Already more than 250 people have been killed in violence since the military ousted President Mohammed Morsi from power July 3. His supporters have staged daily protests since.

Elsewhere, gunmen in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula killed a politician who was a member of parliament during the era of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, security sources said.

Attackers in a car fired four bullets at Abdel Hamid Silmi as he left a mosque, the sources said, adding that he was a member of Mubarak's National Democratic Party.

Militants, mostly based in North Sinai, have escalated attacks on security forces and other targets since July 3, when the army deposed President Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood and installed a new government.

REUTERS/AP

Egypt PM says decision to break up sit-in is final