US, EU call for 'peaceful solution' to end Egypt's political crisis

U.S. and EU envoys have been meeting Egypt's military-backed government officials and supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi to find a peaceful solution to end the political crisis in the country.

Their talks took place amid mounting tensions over plans to break up two mass sit-ins by Morsi loyalists in the Cairo.

According to the BBC, after meeting members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and its political party, the US deputy secretary of state, William Burns, had talks with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy.

They were joined by the European Union's envoy, Bernardino Leon.

On Saturday, the interior ministry renewed its call for the demonstrations to end peacefully, saying this would allow the Muslim Brotherhood to return to a role in the democratic political process, the report said.

According to the report, thousands have been defying warnings from the authorities to abandon the sit-ins in Cairo at Nahda Square and outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque, in the east of the capital.

Thousands of Morsi supporters and their families have been camping there for weeks, demanding his reinstatement, it added.