International mediation efforts have failed: Presidency

The Egyptian presidency announced today that international mediation efforts to find a solution to the current political impasse have failed.

For the past ten days, US, European and Qatari officials have been in Egypt attempting to broker an agreement between the Muslim Brotherhood and the interim government installed following the removal of Mohamed Morsi on July 3.

Morsi supporters, who have been staging two sit-ins in Cairo since the end of June, are refusing to disperse unless certain key demands are met at the top of which is Morsi’s reinstatement. The Cabinet last week instructed the Interior Ministry to “use all legal means” to deal with the sit-ins. The Ministry in its turn announced that it would disperse them.

In its statement issued today the presidency said that the state allowed international mediation efforts in order to encourage the Muslim Brotherhood to stop violence and bloodshed and “respect its national obligations and respect the people’s will.”

The presidency in its statement describes the Brotherhood and its supporters as spreading panic in Egyptian society and “holding its future hostage.”

The statement thanks those countries that attempted to negotiate an agreement and holds the Muslim Brotherhood fully responsible for their failure to do so. It also states that the Brotherhood is responsible for the consequences of these failures, mentioning in particular “the danger to general peace” in an allusion to the continuing sit-ins.