US concerned over Egypt statement on failed mediation

The United States said on Wednesday it is concerned about statements from the Egyptian government that the mediation of representatives from the US, EU, UAE and Qatar have failed to resolve the ongoing political crisis in Egypt. The Department of State confirmed that Deputy Secretary of State William Burns has returned home from Egypt where he was engaged in discussions with all representatives on "constructive ideas to the Egyptians in order to help prevent further violence and help advance the transition to a democratically elected civilian government." The military-appointed interim Egyptian government has blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for the failure of the talks. "Now is not the time to assess blame but to initiate a dialogue that can help restore calm for the long term," said Jennifer Psaki, Spokesperson for the Department. "We've been very public about our concerns, both about actions that have been taken on the ground and public statements that have been made, and we definitely view the absence of a dialogue and compromise as it would be detrimental to the future of Egypt." "We believe that any solution will require both sides to make compromises. These decisions of course will only be made by Egyptians for Egyptians," added Psaki.