CAIRO (AA) – Egypt’s Foreign Ministry clarified a stance announced by the country’s presidency on the end of mediation efforts aiming to break the political deadlock that followed the ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi.
On Wednesday, the presidency said a ten-day phase of diplomatic efforts had ended, blaming Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood for the failure of the endeavors.
The announcement came after visits by several Arab and Western diplomats failed to make any breakthrough towards a compromise to break the deadlock. Some observers voiced concerns that the announcement might mean shutting doors on any future mediation drive.
However, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Badr Abdel-Ati aimed to clarify the stance.
“Egypt does not mind any visit by foreign delegations as long as they are within the frame of mutual respect and respect of Egypt’s sovereignty,” he said in a statement late Thursday.
The stress on ‘mutual respect and respect of Egypt’s sovereignty’ comes on the heels of remarks by US Senator John McCain, during a recent visit to Egypt, in which he termed the ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi as a "coup".
The statements sparked anger among the political groups backing the military ouster of the Islamist leaders with the administration of the interim president describing the remarks as "clumsy".
The spokesman said that Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi has made phone conversations with over 35 counterparts in order to “explain the real image of the revolution and its developments”.
“The ministry is focusing on explaining and conveying the real image of the revolution to the outside world, and mobilize political and economic support,” he added.
The Egyptian capital had been abuzz with diplomatic activity over the past few days, with officials coming from four continents for talks aimed at resolving Egypt's political impasse.
US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled bin Mohamed al-Attiya, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nuhayan and European Union envoy Bernadino León had held talks with a range of government officials and senior Brotherhood leaders.
However, both the presidency and the Brotherhood had earlier dismissed reports of an imminent deal to diffuse the country's political crisis.
Morsi supporters have been staging daily rallies and sit-ins nationwide since the former president's July 3 ouster by the military following mass protests against him.
They demand the reinstatement of the ousted leader, the dissolved Shura Council (the upper house of Egypt's parliament) and the suspended constitution.
The two largest sit-ins are in Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares.
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