Ashton prepares third visit to Egypt after Morsi’s toppling

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton is preparing her third visit to Egypt after President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown, a European diplomat told Itar-Tass. The two previous visits did not bring any result, the diplomat said. The EU key goal is to diffuse the situation and facilitate the political process in order to prevent the escalation of tension, he said. The diplomat described the meeting between the U.S., EU, Qatari and UAE emissaries and a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Khairat Saaid el-Shater, as “useful”. However, the diplomat did not confirm that the EU sought to release el-Shater as soon as possible in exchange for his pledge to start talks between the Muslim Brotherhood and the interim government. Till now it is early to talk about the fate of concrete persons. The EU comes against taking into custody for political reasons. However, the court should decide in any concrete case. As for the situation in Egypt, the key task is to avoid violence, the diplomat said. Totally, the EU position on the situation in Egypt remains unclear. Local analysts believe that the EU reached a deadlock after the Muslim Brotherhood won the presidential elections in Egypt. Thus, the Egyptian authorities have started moving towards Islamisation while the military, who committed the coup d’état, protect the secular ideals.