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No Deal Between Army and Islamists in Egypt Egypt Government Hints at Force to End Large Sit-Ins
(about 9 hours later)
CAIRO — Egypt’s interim president said Wednesday that diplomats had failed to broker an agreement between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military-backed government to end the country’s five-week-old political crisis. CAIRO — Egypt’s military-appointed government said on Wednesday that it was giving up negotiating an end to a five-week-old standoff with the Islamist backers of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, hinting that it might forcibly disperse tens of thousands of them from two sit-ins in the capital.
Envoys from the United States, the European Union and other countries had been working intensively to bring the two sides together since July 27, when Egypt’s security services fired live ammunition at supporters of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s ousted president, killing 80 people. “The phase of diplomatic efforts has ended,” declared a statement issued in the name of the interim president, Adli Mansour, a senior judge seldom seen since his appointment five weeks ago by Gen. Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, the military commander.
The diplomacy grew more urgent in recent days, after the interim government ordered the clearing of two sit-ins of Mr. Morsi’s supporters in Cairo, raising the possibility of further deadly violence. On Wednesday, Egypt’s prime minister said on state TV that the decision to clear the sit-ins was “irreversible.” Neither announcement said what the interim leadership’s next step would be, hinting that a forceful breakup of the sit-ins may be imminent. The new government holds the Muslim Brotherhood, the main Islamist group backing Mr. Morsi, “fully responsible for the failure of these efforts and the subsequent events that may result from this failure regarding breaking the law and endangering the social peace," the statement declared. And although the two main sit-ins are both open and seemingly nonviolent, the statement called both “nonpeaceful.”
In a statement, the president thanked the diplomats and said that it “holds the Muslim Brotherhood fully responsible for the failure of these efforts, and the subsequent events and developments that may result from this failure.” Coming on the eve of the holiday weekend marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the statement suggested that the new government might capitalize on the holiday’s distraction to try to clear out the sit-ins, or at least that it hoped to end the standoff before Egyptians returned to work after the end of the slower-paced month of fasting.
It was not clear whether the statement signaled the end of reconciliation efforts or frustration with the foreign visitors, or was itself a pressure tactic. The diplomats had urged the military to release imprisoned Islamist leaders, including Mr. Morsi, who has been held without charge since his ouster. Brotherhood leaders said they had also come under pressure to accept the military intervention and move forward, with an eye toward participating in coming elections. In its own statement, the Brotherhood responded by calling on Egyptians in cities and towns across the country to join its protests. It declared that its movement and demonstrations “have been and will remain completely peaceful and we will continue our peaceful protests no matter what happens to us.”
The European Union said Wednesday that it would continue its efforts to “get this inclusive dialogue going,” but gave no details of any new steps. In a rare joint declaration, Secretary of State John Kerry and the European Union’s top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, said in a statement Wednesday that the chance for reconciliation remained open and vital.
The statement came a day after two Republican senators warned Egypt that the United States would cut off aid if the new military-appointed government failed to move rapidly toward democracy, including releasing Mr. Morsi and other prisoners. “Deeply concerned about Egypt’s future and what is at stake at this critical time, we have suggested a number of practical ideas to calm current tensions and help Egyptians build a bridge toward a real political dialogue,” the two diplomats said.
“We are hopeful that the direction of the transition will be going back to democracy; that is the only one we can support,” said one, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who made the trip with Senator John McCain of Arizona. “These ideas remain available for the parties even now, and our engagement at all levels continues on a daily basis,” Mr. Kerry and Ms. Ashton said, adding that the Egyptian government “bears a special responsibility to begin this process to ensure the safety and welfare of its citizens.”
While they have been fighting a Congressional push to restrict the $1.5 billion a year in American aid to Egypt, both have argued publicly that Washington should call the ouster of Mr. Morsi, Egypt’s first elected president, a coup, even if the overthrow did follow huge street protests. The administration has avoided that term to sidestep a legal requirement to restrict the aid. Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham said they were not speaking for the president or the administration, but Mr. Obama’s request that they visit offered its own message. But after an urgent meeting of Egypt’s interim cabinet, Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi said on state television on Wednesday that the decision to clear the sit-ins was “irreversible.” He said that the clearing could begin any time, and he warned the Islamists against any resistance.
“We share the democratic aspirations and the criticisms of the Morsi government that led millions of Egyptians into the streets,” Mr. McCain said. But “the circumstances of the former government’s president’s removal were a coup, and we have said that we cannot expect Egypt or any other country to abide by its laws if we do not abide by ours in the United States.” The government has already authorized the police to use force to carry out such an order. Security forces have detained Mr. Morsi, jailed scores of Islamist leaders, and killed a total of more than 140 of the ousted president’s supporters in two mass shootings at demonstrations seeking his reinstatement.
The new government rebuffed them. The Web site of the flagship Egyptian newspaper, Al Ahram, said Tuesday night that a top government spokesman had accused Mr. McCain of “falsifying the facts” and said his “foolish statements are unacceptable.” But talks aimed at resolving the impasse have nonetheless continued behind the scenes, with envoys from the United States, the European Union, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates all meeting with officials on both sides in efforts to broker some resolution.
Soldiers and the police have killed more than 140 Morsi supporters and wounded hundreds more in two mass shootings. The largest sit-in for Mr. Morsi has remained predominantly nonviolent, and the Muslim Brotherhood says it rejects violence, but Egyptian news media have focused on Islamist statements characterized as inciting potential violence. The Western envoys have said that they sought to persuade the military’s government to release the Islamists while at the same time persuading the Muslim Brotherhood to participate in a renewed democratic process despite its forced ouster. The Islamists dominated Egypt’s first free elections after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak and still represent a sizable constituency, especially outside the capital.
Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham repeatedly called on the Islamists to renounce violence, and appeared to urge them to give up hope for Mr. Morsi’s reinstatement. They recommended a timetable for the ratification of constitutional amendments, credible parliamentary elections and a new presidential vote. In its own statement on Wednesday, however, the government said it had “allowed” the foreign envoys to meet with Brotherhood leaders only to encourage them “to respect the popular will.”
But they also argued for inclusive democracy and called for the swift release of the detained Islamists so that they could rejoin the political process. That will, the government said, had been manifested through street protests supporting the military takeover.
“We are hoping and begging and pleading with the people of Egypt that they will look forward and not backward; that means releasing people so that they can negotiate,” Mr. Graham said, adding, “It is impossible to talk to somebody who’s in jail.” After 10 days, the statement said, the government had “exhausted the necessary efforts that would encourage the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters to denounce violence and prevent bloodshed.”

Mayy El Sheikh contributed reporting.

Kareem Fahim and Mayy El Sheikh contributed reporting from Cairo, and Michael R. Gordon from Washington.