CAIRO (AA) - European Union's top foreign policy official is set to arrive in Egypt on Tuesday for her third visit to the country since the July 3 ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi, a diplomatic source said.
Catherine Ashton will meet with a number of senior Egyptian officials, including interim President Adly Mansour, army chief and Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi, Deputy Premier Ziad Baha Eddin, Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, and Amr Moussa, who is currently serving as head of a panel tasked with amending the constitution.
During her two-day visit, she will also meet with Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb and Coptic Orthodox Pope Towadros II.
The European diplomat will also meet with Mohamed Ali Beshr and Amr Darrag, representatives of the National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, a coalition of largely Islamist groups that demand Morsi's reinstatement.
During her stay in Egypt, Ashton is also expected to meet with a delegation from the Salafist Nour Party.
The diplomatic source said that Ashton would try to persuade Muslim Brotherhood leaders to join "national dialogue" and contest upcoming parliamentary elections in return for a halt to an ongoing security crackdown on the group and suspension of a court ruling outlawing the Brotherhood.
The source added that Ashton's visit is aimed at promoting dialogue between the current Egyptian administration and the Brotherhood in hopes of reaching agreement on proposed national dialogue.
The biggest challenge facing Ashton will be persuading the Brotherhood to accept an army-imposed roadmap for Egypt's political future, the source said.
The source ruled out a possible meeting between Ashton and Morsi.
Egypt's first-ever democratically elected leader, Morsi was ousted by the powerful military on July 3 following mass protests against his presidency.
He has not been seen in public ever since and his whereabouts remain unknown.
Ashton had met Morsi during an earlier visit to Egypt in July, shortly after Morsi's ouster.
By Hagar al-Dosoki - Anadolu Agency
