US senators call for national dialogue to resolve Egypt crisis

US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham on Tuesday called for a national dialogue in Egypt to resolve the crisis triggered by the ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi. "We have urged the release of political prisoners. We have urged a national dialogue that is inclusive of all parties that renounce the use of violence. We have strongly urged a set timetable for amendment of the constitution, elections for the parliament, followed by elections for the presidency," McCain told a press conference in Cairo. "We are confident that Egypt can still serve as a model of inclusive democracy that can inspire this region and the world, and we will continue to support our friends here every step of the way," he added. The two Republican senators are currently visiting Egypt to join talks aimed at defusing the political crisis ignited by the army's removal of Morsi on July 3 after mass protests against his regime. They met Tuesday with Vice-President for International Relations Mohamed ElBaradei, army chief and Defense Minister Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and interim Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi. McCain said that they were not here to negotiate with Egyptian leaders but to urge them as "longtime friends" to avoid further violence and chaos. "We are here to move forward," the Republican senator said. "The events that have taken place. We want to express our support, our friendship, our appreciation and our knowledge of how important Egypt is to the world." McCain described the ouster of Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, as a "coup". "We have said we share the democratic aspirations and criticism of the Morsi government that led millions of Egyptians into the streets," he said. "We've also said that the circumstances of [Morsi's] removal was a coup. This was a transition of power not by the ballot box." McCain's description comes at odds with the US administration's stance which had delicately avoided using the term for Morsi's removal.   "What happens in Egypt in the coming weeks is very, very critical and will have a decisive impact on this country and in the Middle East as well," McCain said. Cairo has been abuzz with diplomatic activity in recent days, with officials coming from different continents for talks aimed at resolving Egypt's political impasse. Ever since his ouster, pro-Morsi demonstrators have been staging daily mass rallies and sit-ins nationwide to demand his reinstatement. "Democracy is the only viable path to lasting stability," McCain said. "That means more than elections -- it means democratic governance, an inclusive political process in which all Egyptians are free to participate." Senator Graham said the release of detainees would help render efforts aimed at resolving the crisis successful. "The people who are in charge were not elected. The people who were elected are in jail. The status quo is not acceptable." The two US senators said that it would be wrong to cut off US military aid to Egypt, worth some $1.5 billion a year, following Morsi's ouster. "Cutting off aid would be the wrong signal at the wrong time," McCain said. Describing Egypt as "the heart and soul of the Arab world", Graham said Egypt is one of the "best investments" that America can make in the Middle East, warning that a failed Egyptian state is his "worst nightmare". "We need progress, we need transition, and we need it soon," he added. US senators meet Egypt's former PM, speaker of dissolved Shura Council A US congressional delegation has met with Egypt's former Prime Minister Hisham Qandil and Speaker of the dissolved Shura Council Ahmed Fahmy, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed al-Beltagi told the Anadolu Agency. US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham are currently visiting Egypt to join talks aimed at defusing the political crisis ignited by the army's ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi on July 3. They met Tuesday with Vice-President for International Relations Mohamed ElBaradei, army chief and Defense Minister Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and interim Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi. The two senators, both Republican, on Tuesday called on Egyptian authorities to release all political prisoners. "We have urged the release of political prisoners. We have urged a national dialogue that is inclusive of all parties that renounce the use of violence. We have strongly urged a set timetable for amendment of the constitution, elections for the parliament, followed by elections for the presidency," McCain told a press conference earlier in Cairo. "We are confident that Egypt can still serve as a model of inclusive democracy that can inspire this region and the world, and we will continue to support our friends here every step of the way," he added.