France urges Egyptians to find solutions via dialogue

France has appealed to all parties or groups in Egypt to try to find solution to the ongoing stalemate in that country through dialogue.

The political crisis erupted in Egypt following the military's ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi July 3. Nearly 300 people have been killed in violence since Morsi's removal, and his Islamist supporters are still encamped in two squares in Cairo -- Rabaa al-Adaweya in Nasr City and Nahdet Misr in Giza, demanding his reinstatement.

On Thursday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called on all parties in Egypt to open dialogue, saying France was ready to assist any political process to reduce the conflict in the country, Xinhua reported.

The minister's remarks were made during his talks with different Egyptian actors, said the foreign ministry in a statement.

France's top diplomat "stressed the need for everyone to focus on the dialogue" and facilitate possible compromise, to avoid tensions or violence.

Speaking to Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, Fabius "reiterated France's readiness to assist any political process leading to the reduction of conflicts and the establishment of pluralistic civil institutions".

On Wednesday, Egyptian interim President Adli Mansour said that diplomatic efforts had failed to produce a political solution to the ongoing crisis.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton Wednesday expressed concern about the "dangerous stalemate" in Egypt after envoys from the two sides, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) failed in their 10-day efforts to diffuse the Egyptian crisis.