EU, AU Envoys Meet Mursi, US Officials Head to Cairo

Local Editor

Supporters of ousted president Mohamed Mursi marched in a number of governorates across Egypt on Tuesday, demanding the reinstatement of the former president.

Despite earlier warnings by the military, pro-Mursi protesters marched on Tuesday night to the headquarters of Egypt's military intelligence in Cairo's Nasr City district.

In a statement on Monday, the military had urged protesters not to go near military establishments and specifically not to approach the military intelligence building, saying that such actions could put protesters at risk.

The defense ministry building is close to the Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque, where Morse supporters have been staging a sit-in since 28 June.
Meanwhile, US media reported that "two leading US senators said they have been asked by President Barack Obama to travel to Egypt to urge the country's military to hold new elections."

Republican senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain, seen as leading legislative voices on US foreign policy and security matters, told reporters that they plan to travel next week to Cairo.
"The president asked Senator McCain and myself to go to Egypt next week, so we're trying to find a way to get there," Graham told CBS television.
Graham said the goal of the trip is to "reinforce in a bipartisan fashion the message that we have to move to civilian control -- that the military is going to have to allow the country to have new elections and move toward an inclusive, democratic approach."

He and McCain, who was the Republican party's presidential nominee in 2008, intend to "talk to the military and the political leaders -- hopefully including the Muslim Brotherhood -- to have a unified message that we want Egypt to be successful," said Graham.
The South Carolina lawmaker continued: "You cannot stop the progress and the march for democracy that the military has to turn over as fast as possible control to a civilian government."

"I'm glad the president asked. We'll try to deliver a bipartisan message. We'll try to bring out the best in the future in Egypt before it's too late."
Hours earlier, an African Union [AU] delegation met with Mursi on Tuesday.
The delegation, led by former Malian president Alpha Omar Konare, spent an hour with Mursi at an undisclosed location, state news agency MENA reported.

This is the second meeting between a foreign delegation and Mursi since he was ousted by the military on 3 July amid nationwide protests against his rule.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton confirmed on Tuesday that she had met Mursi for two hours late on Monday.
Earlier on Tuesday, the AU delegation met a number of Egyptian officials, including army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and interim Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team